Accidents Happen
by Erinn1197
Summary: Isabelle Stein didn't see the car. It all just happened so fast. She hurt the love of her life. She killed his baby brother.
1. Chapter 1

" _Be careful."_

" _I will James. Trust me, I'm a good driver."_

 _My boyfriend look down at me, as if skeptical of my answer. I giggled. It was adorable when he worried about his siblings or me. It showed that he cared deeply for those he loved._

" _I'll be extra careful." I said with a sweet smile. "Al and I are just going to the grocery store for your mum."_

" _I love you." James whispered, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead._

" _I love you too."_

I could hear the sirens in the distance. They would be here in a matter of seconds. I stared at the damage in front of me. The car was destroyed. There was a slight curve from when the other car collided. The passenger door was completely smashed in.

"Al!" I cried out. "Come on Al, please wake up."

The sirens got closer.

" _I love this song!" I squealed, turning the radio up. "_ _You know, I used to be in 1D, now I'm out, free, People want me for one thing, that's not me."_

 _Al laughed at me as I sang out loud and off key. I sang and danced in my seat as we cruised down the road. I was having so much fun._

" _Belle, watch out!"_

 _The sound of shattering glass filled my ears._

I watched as they pulled Al out of the car. They placed him on the stretcher and pushed him over to the ambulance. The muggles bustled around him quickly, grabbing their equipment. One guy leaned over Al before shaking his head. Why was he shaking his head? Why were they stopping.

"Miss?"

I painfully torn my attention away from Al and to the muggle police officer who had come up to me.

"Miss, can you tell me what happened?" He asked.

"I…I don't know." I stuttered. "One minute we were driving and the next we weren't. I didn't see her."

The office nodded, writing down my statement.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, turning my attention back to Al.

The officer ignored me and continued to ask me questions.

"Miss, we're going to have to contact your parents."

"Good luck." I muttered.

"What was that?" The officer asked.

"My parents are traveling the world. Last I heard, they're in Russia." I said. "I've been staying with my boyfriend's family. That's his brother."

 _Be careful._

James's voice burned in my ears. He asked me to do one thing. Just one little thing and I failed.

 _Be careful._

I wanted to scream. I was already struggling to keep the tears from over flowing. James's voice in my head wasn't helping anything.

 _Be careful._

"I need to contact your boyfriend's parents then." The officer said.

 _Be careful._

"I…I'll call them."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it. I went to my contacts and pulled Harry's number up. Taking a deep breath, I hit his name and held the phone up to my ear. It was ringing.

 _Be careful._

"Hello?"

 _Be careful._

"Harry." I cried, the tears finally coming out. "You need to come quick. I…Al and I were in a car accident." 

"Isabelle, calm down." Harry said. "Are the muggles there?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Okay, I have your location. I'll be there in five."

"Okay," I whispered.

I wiped the tears away from my face and turned back to the officer.

"He'll be here in a few minutes." I said.

The officer didn't say a word, he just nodded. I turned my attention back to Al and the ambulance.

"Why aren't they doing anything?" I cried out. "Why isn't he awake?"

Again, no one answered my questions.

 _Be careful._

"Isabelle."

"Harry." I said with relief.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know." I cried, "Al and I were running to the grocery store for Ginny. I was driving and this car appeared out of nowhere. They took Al in the ambulance but no one is telling me what's going on."

We both looked up at the ambulance sirens started up and the ambulance took off. The muggle officer came up to us.

"Are you the parent in charge?" He asked.

Harry nodded.

"Your son is being taken to The Royal Liverpool University Hospital." The officer said. "And you Miss, will not be cited. You're not at fault."

 _Be careful_

It felt like I was at fault.

Harry and I rushed to the Hospital. On the way there, Harry called and explained everything to Ginny. A knot in my stomach formed. Ginny would tell Lily and James. James will be hurt that I wasn't careful, that I hurt his brother.

We burst through the Emergency Room doors and darted over to the desk.

"My son, Albus Potter, was just brought in from a car accident." Harry said.

"A doctor is checking him right now." The nurse answered. "Please take a seat and I'll inform him you're here."

Harry guided me over to the waiting area. My nerves collected in my stomach, leaving me with the feeling of sickness.

 _Be careful._

The door to the ER slide open and Ginny walked in, followed by James and Lily. My heart sank at the sight of my boyfriend.

 _Be careful._

 _Be careful._

 _Be careful._

I brushed away the few lose tears. Ginny went up and hugged her husband. James didn't say anything, didn't look at me, but he took a seat next to me. My heart ached a little more. I just wanted him to say something to me.

"James,"

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter?"

Ginny and Harry jumped up with the doctor came out. I tried to examine his face. Please…please let there be some good news.

"Your son suffered some serve trauma from the impact. He took in most the impact shock."

"But he'll be all right, won't he?" Ginny asked.

The doctor offered her a sad smile before wiping it off his face.

 _Be careful._

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I'm very sorry. Your son was pronounced dead on his way here."

No.

 _Be careful._

I turned and looked at James. We made brief eye contact before he spun around and stormed out of the ER.

" _Be careful."_

" _I will James. Trust me, I'm a good driver."_

 _My boyfriend look down at me, as if skeptical of my answer. I giggled. It was adorable when he worried about his siblings or me. It showed that he cared deeply for those he loved._

" _I'll be extra careful." I said with a sweet smile. "Al and I are just going to the grocery store for your mum."_

" _I love you." James whispered, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead._

" _I love you too."_

Be careful.

What did I do?

Author's Note- I couldn't help myself. I really wanted to start this story. I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I do not own the song lyrics. That is from Strip That Down by Liam Payne.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Don't worry. My parents will love you." James laughed._

" _Easy for you to say." I scoffed. "You grew up with the great Harry Potter as your dad. If he hates me, everyone will hate me."_

" _You know, you're cute when you worry." James said, a smirk forming on his face._

 _I slapped him playfully on his arm. He remained unaffected. That boy was so built from Quidditch that I could punch him full force and he probably wouldn't flinch._

" _I'm having a crisis over here and you think it's cute." I cried out._

" _Belle, I promise they will love you." James said with a reassuring tone._

" _And if they don't?" I asked._

" _I'll still love you."_

" _Promise?"_

" _They couldn't stop me if they tried." James whispered._

 _He gently placed his lips on mine, pulling me close to him. I closed off any fears I had and let myself sink into his hold._

I stared at the door my boyfriend just stormed out of. I didn't know what to do. Frantically, I turned back to Harry and Ginny. Ginny was sobbing in her husband's shoulder. Lily looked down at the floor, I could see the tears running down her face. Harry held his wife close, burying his face in her fiery red hair. I looked at the image in front of me.

Devastating.

I could feel my heart racing. I did this. I caused this mess. I caused the devastation the would forever destroy this family. Bloody hell.

I turned my attention back to the ER doors. Part of me was hoping James would come back through and comfort me. I knew that wasn't going to happen. I looked over my shoulder, taking one last look at Harry and Ginny.

Then I ran.

I ran out those doors and down the sidewalk. I didn't care to where. I just went.

" _Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet Isabelle Stein." James said, introducing me proudly. "My girlfriend."_

 _I waved weakly at Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Oh Merlin, I was so nervous. They're going to think I'm some bloody idiot who doesn't know how to talk._

" _It's a please to meet you darling." Ginny said with a smile._

 _She came over and pulled me into a motherly hug. Bloody hell, my own mother doesn't even do this. Ginny Potter was hugging me. She didn't hit me with one of her famous Bat-Bogey hexes so that was a major bonus._

" _You too Mrs. Potter." I responded. "James had said nothing but praises about you"_

" _Oh?" Ginny laughed, raising her eyebrow at her son. "Just wait until he starts failing his classes. Then we'll see how many praises he has to say about me."_

" _Actually Mum, Belle is one of the top students in our year." James boasted. "She's been helping me."_

 _I smiled gratefully at my boyfriend. He was so proud of me and that made me so happy. I support him, he supports me._

I slowed down, my breaths quick and shallow. I looked back to look at the hospital. From here, only the top stories were visible. I rounded the corner of the block, ducking into an abandoned alley way. I pulled my wand out and gave it a flick.

I was spinning.

I landed in the kitchen. The room was dark, everything still in place as it was a month ago. I walked out to the hallway.

"Mum?" I called out. "Dad?"

No answer. I wasn't expecting one. They were still out traveling the world. Part of me was hoping that they missed their daughter enough to come home and see her. That part of me was wrong. I headed up the staircase, my hand trailing along the banister. I walked down the hall to my bedroom. The door was slightly cracked open. I pushed it open. I found a young man sitting on the edge of my bed.

"James?"

" _This will be your room." James said, setting my trunk at the foot of the bed._

 _He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. He looked down at me, a mischievous grin forming._

" _However, my room is right down the hall. Feel free to sneak in whenever you please."_

" _Oh, I'm sure your parents will be thrilled to find their fifteen-year-old son in bed with his girlfriend." I said, my voice oozing with sarcasm._

" _We'll keep your clothes on." James replied. "They'll never know your secrets."_

" _Knock it off James." I giggled._

" _I know you find me irresistible." James said, leaning closer to me. "That I just take your breath away."_

 _He wasn't wrong. He was irresistible. He did take my breath away. Not just because he was a Potter, but because he was an amazing person. He cared so deeply about his friends and family. He was a sweet and loving man but also knew how to have a good time._

" _Stop inflating your ego." I laughed, pretending like he was wrong._

 _I squirmed in his arms, trying to escape his clutch. He just held onto my tighter._

" _Isabelle Stein, I am completely in love with you."_

The man didn't move, he just stayed in his position. I walked over to my bed.

"James." I whispered.

He didn't react.

"James, I'm so…"

"I told you to be careful." He interrupted. "I hate those stupid death machines. I didn't want you or Al going in it. But no, Dad insisted we have it and Mum let you drive it."

I stayed put. I wanted to walk over and pull James into my arms but I didn't. I just stayed where I was.

"I was so worried, from the moment you pulled out of the driveway. I would've been devastated if anything happened to you Belle."

James paused in his speech. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say.

"Instead, you let my brother get hurt."

"James, she ran the stop sign." I whispered. "There was nothing I could've done."

"I told you to be careful!" He roared. "You weren't."

His words stung like a slap across the face.

 _I lounged in the float, gently moving with the movement of the water. James swam over to me, grabbing the side of my pool float._

" _Dunk me and I'll end your life." I hissed, looking over at my boyfriend._

 _He had this stupid grin, that one he would get before he would do something that would get him in trouble._

" _James Sirius Potter, I swear."_

 _He gripped the float tightly and gave it a sharp tug. I flipped over and went over. James went down, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me up. When we broke surface, he pulled me close and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips._

" _James!" I cried out, hitting him on the chest with a closed fist._

" _You love me." He said with a stupid smile._

 _I did. He could torment me all he wanted and I would still fall into a puddle at his feet._

"I'm sorry." I cried.

"Sorry isn't going to bring Al back."

His words felt like another slap to the face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

For the first time during our whole conversation, James turned to look at me.

"I needed to be alone. I figured no one would look for me here."

I didn't say anything. I diverted my eye contact away from him, staring at a book that was on my desk.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"This is my house." I stated.

"You're staying with us while your parents are traveling." James replied.

I looked down at the floor.

"I figured you guys wouldn't want me around."

I slowly looked up, afraid to see what James would say.

"I don't." James replied.

My heart dropped. It was as if he took it and threw it at a wall.

"I can't just let you stay here though. Mum promised your parents she would take care of you."

James stood up and walked over to the door. His arm brushed gently against mine. Sparks shot up my body.

"I'll see you at home." He muttered.

I listened to his footsteps as he went down the stairs. I then heard the familiar crack of him apparating. I spun around, looking at the now empty doorway.

"I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

" _You know, you don't have to be here." James whispered in my ear. "I know Al and Lily can be a pain."_

" _They're fine." I said. "I adore your siblings. They're so much fun."_

 _James rolled his eyes at my comment. He didn't get it. James loved his siblings but he also saw then as annoying little prats. I was an only child. I never had that joy of having younger siblings. I always wanted at least one but my parents made it clear that I would be their only child. They weren't very fond of the concept of caring for a child. It's amazing I made it to be sixteen. Since I started dating James last year, the Potter's have kind of taken me in as their adoptive daughter. I saw Lily and Al as the little siblings I never got._

" _I know you do." James said with a smile. "It's one of the many things I love about you."_

I sat down on my bed, the same spot where James was sitting. I looked around my childhood bedroom. Everything was exactly how I left it when I went to go stay with the Potters. The house was dead. No signs of life.

Until today.

I didn't want to go back to the Potters Manor. I was filled with guilt. How would they react to me? How would they be able to handle the fact that I could go back to their home but their son/brother didn't? I couldn't I just couldn't force myself to go.

I walked over to my closet and yanked a sweatshirt off the hanger. It was James's quidditch one. I peeled my tee shirt off and slipped James's hoodie over my head. It smelled just like him. I made my way back over to my bed, crawling under the covers. I pulled the blanket up towards my neck, making myself into a little burrito blanket. It made me feel safe. I needed to feel safe.

I felt the tears roll down my cheek and dampen my pillow.

" _These parties are so boring." Thirteen-year-old Lily complained. "They're the exact same thing every single year."_

" _I think it's fascinating." I said. "I've never been to a Ministry Ball before."_

" _It's boring." Lily responded. "There's just a bunch of stuffy old people who drink champagne and talk about how successful they are."_

" _Yeah, but you never had me." I said with a smirk on my face. "I'm pretty interesting."_

" _Thank Merlin." Lily said. "I don't know why James hasn't brought you to one of these events before. They're always asking if he has a girlfriend. He tells them he doesn't want to scare you away."_

" _Or maybe he's hiding another secret relationship from me." I laughed, looking over at my boyfriend._

" _I'm just not ready to share you with the world baby." James responded, wrapping his arm around my waist. "I just want to keep you all to myself."_

" _You two are so in love…it's sickening." Lily commented, clasping her necklace around her neck._

 _James just smiled and planted a light kiss on my lips._

I just laid in my bed, unable to move. James used to be so in love with me. He was so sweet and careful with me.

" _I figured you guys wouldn't want me around."_

" _I don't." James replied._

His words rang in my ears. I don't. I don't. I don't. He didn't want me there. I couldn't bear to see him in pain. I couldn't force him to have to see me every day. I loved him…no, I love him. I just want to do what's best for him.

I nestled my head into my folded arms, inhaling James's scent off his hoodie. I already missed the smell of him.

"Isabelle?"

I drew my legs closer to my chest. I knew that voice. I didn't want to face that voice. If I stayed quiet enough, maybe he would think I'm not here and leave.

"Isabelle."

I could hear him opening doors as he made his way through the house. It would only be a matter of time before he found me. I listened as my bedroom door creaked open.

"Isabelle, there you are."

I wasn't going to look at him. I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to see the look of hate and disgust on his face.

"Isabelle, darling, you need to come back to the house."

"No." I whimpered, staring at the blank wall in front of me.

"You have to."

I rolled over in my bed to come face to face with Harry Potter. I looked up at him. He didn't look like he was disgusted and filled with hate. He looked concerned and worried.

"I can't." I cried. "James hates me. He doesn't want me back there."

Harry sat on the edge on my bed and pulled me over to him. His embrace was warm, like a father comforting his upset daughter. I let myself fall into his embrace, accepting his fatherly act.

 _I walked out of Lily's room and over to Al's. James and his brother were finishing getting ready over there, leaving Lily and I to do whatever beauty primping we need. I gently tapped on the door before walking into Al's room._

" _James."_

 _James turned around. His eyes ran over my body and a silly grin broke out on his face._

" _Bloody hell," He whispered. "You look gorgeous."_

 _I blushed, looking down at the floor. I was wearing a floor length, strapless white dress. The slip under my dress stopped at mid-thigh, the see through lacey pattern going all the way now. The dress shimmered with sparkles every time I moved. My hair was curled and half pinned up, the other half falling gently over my shoulders. My makeup with modest, some mascara, eyeliner, and some shimmering white eyeshadow to complement my dress._

" _You don't look too bad yourself." I said with a smile._

 _James just grinned at me. He held his arm out for me to take and he guided me down the hall way._

" _Mum will want to get some pictures of us before we head out." He whispered in my ear. "I want to be able to show the world how beautiful my perfect girlfriend is."_

Am I still perfect now?

"James doesn't hate you." Harry said, rubbing his hand up and down my back.

His actions were soothing, comforting.

"How can you even manage to look at me?" I asked. "I killed your son."

"No." Harry said sternly. "You did not kill Albus. That women ran the stop sign, she's the one who killed Albus."

"James didn't want us in that car." I whispered. "He told me to be careful and I wasn't. He can't even look at me."

I could feel the tears coming back up. The ball in my throat made it hard to swallow.

"James is upset." Harry responded. "We all are, including you. I know my son, I know how much he loves you. Give him time to grieve and heal. He'll come around. He needs you."

 _Ginny gushed over James and I, taking at many pictures as she possibly could. I didn't mind. I was happy, James was happy and that was all I needed._

" _Oh, this is beautiful."_

 _Ginny handed me the picture to look at. James was smiling at the camera, his arm wrapped around my waist. I had one arm around his waist, my other hand resting on his chest. Instead of looking at the camera, I was smiling up at James. You could see me giggling as the picture went through it movements._

" _Can I keep this?" I asked._

" _Of course dear." Ginny responded._

I looked over at the picture frame on my bedside table. It was one of James and I from the Ministry Ball last year. It was one of my favorite pictures of us.

"I hope he can."

"Please, come home Isabelle." Harry whispered.

He got up off my bed and held his hand out. Slowly, I took it and let him pull me out of the bed. I heard the loud crack and felt the awful tug of apparition. We landed in the Potters' kitchen.

I could only hope that James will come around. 

_Author's Note- Chapter three! I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I've been working hard on trying to make the chapters longer so please bear with me as I grow as a writer._


	4. Chapter 4

" _Give it up Belle. You'll never find the snitch before me."_

" _I wouldn't be sure Al." I laughed. "Gryffindor has beaten Slytherin how many times?"_

 _We both sat on our brooms, side by side above the pitch. Neither of us looked at each other but kept our focus on finding the snitch._

" _This year is different." Al replied. "Now that I'm Captain we're going to be better."_

" _Aww, is little baby Al all grown up now." I cooed. "Are you a big boy now?"_

" _Hey, just because you're dating my brother doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you." Al laughed._

 _Al quickly tipped his broom down and drove into a steep dive. That little bugger saw the snitch! I sent my broom into a dive, trying my best to catch up with Al. I could see the snitch. It was so close, yet so far away._

" _Albus Potter has caught the snitch!" Alexandra Clemms yelled from the commenter's box "That's 70 to 190, giving Slytherin the win!"_

I laid in my bed at the Potter's home, staring up at the ceiling. I did my best to avoid leaving my room. I was terrified of running into James. He was in so much pain and it broke my heart. Al wasn't only his brother but also his best friend. I took that away from him.

Al had so much potential in life. He was an excellent Quidditch player, excelled in his defense and potions classes, and always made sure he had time for his friends and family. Then, in a matter of seconds, I ended that.

" _I got to hand it to you Al." I said as we walked off the field. "You gave me a run for my money."_

" _I told you, we're better this year." Al said with a smirk, turning to head to his changing room. "But hey, you and James can stop by our victory party later."_

 _I just smiled as I walked into the Gryffindor changing room. I knew James would be upset that we lost, but also proud that his brother won his first game as Captain._

" _Hey," I whispered, giving James a quick kiss. "We'll get them next time."_

 _I grabbed my clothes out of my locker and headed over to the girls changing area._

The ponding on my bedroom door ripped me out of my thoughts. I rolled over in my bed, pulling the covers over my head.

"Go away." I called out.

I heard the door open anyways. I rolled back over, pushing the covers down towards my thighs.

"I said go away."

"That's no way to treat your friend." Dominique Weasley responded.

"I didn't think you'd come." I muttered.

"Let me guess, you assumed I would hate you too?" She asked.

I didn't say anything. I just stared blankly at the wall behind her.

"Uncle Harry filled me in on everything." Dom said, making herself at home on the foot of my bed. "You know it's not your fault."

"It feels like my fault." I whimpered. "I feel shitty."

"How could you not? It was a horrible thing that happened. Al would be so pissed though if he knew you were moping around like this." Dom said.

 _James and I headed down to the Slytherin common room. James kept the Marauders Map in hand so we could avoid any professors or patrolling prefects. Finally, we made it to the Slytherin entrance way._

" _I'm assuming Al gave you the password?" I asked._

" _Dragon's breath." James answered._

 _The stone wall in front of us slid opened and we stepped inside. The room was lively, students everywhere. The music was loud, alcohol flowing, and couples making out in random corners._

" _Belle! James! Hey!" Al yelled._

" _Someone's a little drunk." I laughed as we walked up to him._

" _Nah, I'm not drunk." Al said. "I only had a few bottles of Firewhiskey."_

" _A few?" I asked._

" _Okay, so maybe like five or six."_

" _You're going to be fucked up in a matter of minutes." I giggled._

" _I'm having fun Belle." Al laughed. "Here, take a shot."_

 _Al grabbed to shot glasses off the table next to us and handed me one. We both counted to three and tipped our glasses back. The Firewhiskey burned as it went down my throat but left my body feeling warm and fuzzy afterwards._

" _Another one!" I said, picking up two more glasses._

"I just can't leave this room." I whined. "I'm scared. I'm scared of what Ginny thinks or what Lily thinks. James hates me and I can't read Harry."

"Belle, they know the truth." Dom said. "They're grieving for the loss of their son, but they aren't blaming you. It was an accident. You had no control over what happened."

No control.

" _James!" I squealed, attempting to make my way over to my boyfriend._

 _It didn't work out very well. I stumbled into Al instead._

" _Al! Hi." I giggled. "We should take more shots!"_

 _Al agreed with my drunken suggestion and grabbed two shots off the side table, handing one to me. James came up and snatched the shots out of our hands._

" _Hey," I cried out. "That's mine."_

" _Mmm, nope." James replied. "I think you and Al had enough to drink. You two are cut off."_

" _No." I pouted. "We're not drunk, right Al?"_

" _Yeah, we're totally sober." Al said, slurring his words together._

" _I'm sorry, what was that?" James asked. "I don't speak gibberish."_

" _We're totally sober." Al tried again._

" _Come on James, just one more." I begged. "We'll stay in Al's dorm."_

 _I gave him my best puppy dog look drunk me could muster. How could he possibly say no to me? James looked down at me and sighed, giving us our shot glasses back._

" _Last one." He said sternly._

" _Bottoms up." I giggled, clinking glasses with Al._

"I just feel terrible." I cried. "Al was so great and now it's over."

The tears ran down my face, the emotions coming out. The guilt I felt over Al's death, the pain it left in my heart, the hurt I caused for his family, everything just came out. I rolled over in my bed, letting out my loud sobs into my pillow. Dom crawled up my bed and pulled the covers over her. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. I nuzzled my head in her chest and let the tears keep flowing.

"Let it out." Dom whispered, gently brushing my hair with her fingers. "Let it all out."

" _Fuck." I mumbled as I rolled over in my bed._

 _I felt restrained. I slowly peeled my eyes opened and looked around. I wasn't in my bed in Gryffindor Tower. I was in a sleeping bag on the floor. James laid in one next to me. I looked up at the beds. I could see Scorpius's blonde hair falling slightly over the edge of his bed._

 _We were in Al's dorm._

" _James." I muttered, giving his shoulder a shove. "James, wake up."_

" _Hmm?"_

" _Go shut the curtain. It's too bright."_

" _Seriously." I heard Al mutter from his bed._

 _I listened as he rolled around in his bed, leaning over the side to look at James and me._

" _Bloody hell, what happened?" I asked. "I feel like shit."_

" _You partied like a Slytherin." Al said with a laugh that quickly turned into a groan._

" _You two got shit face drunk last night." James laughed._

 _Al and I quickly, but not to quickly or else we would vomit, told James to tone it down a few levels. My pounding headache couldn't take his loud voice at the moment._

" _At least we had fun." I said. "I think?"_

" _Oh yeah, you did." James said with a smirk. "You kept telling Al how cute his brother was and if you should go flirt with him."_

" _What did Al say to that?" I asked, looking over at Al._

 _He was snuggled back up under his covers, fast asleep again._

" _He said that I was a prat and you shouldn't try to flirt with me."_

" _Well, that's not bad advice." I laughed. "Maybe I should listen to him."_

 _James tossed his pillow at my head._

Author's Note- Alright, I tried to take your suggestions and work it into this chapter. I hope I did it justice and to remember to continue your suggestions throughout the rest of the story.

You know the drill. Leave any comments and suggestions in a review because I thrive off them.

Xoxo


	5. Chapter 5

" _James! Belle!"_

 _I squealed with laughter as James and I ducked under the covers of his bed. We could hear the bedroom fly open. Al ripped the covers off of us. I couldn't control my laughter as I looked up at him._

" _My hair is pink!" Al cried out._

" _Bubble gum pink." I giggled._

" _Fix it!"_

" _Mmm, I don't want to." I said with a sweet smile, leaning back in the bed._

" _Belle."_

" _Al."_

" _You made me do this." He said with a smirk. "Cantis."_

" _Despacito_ _._ _Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito_ _._ _Deja que te diga cosas al oído_ _._ _Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo."_

" _You know Spanish?" James asked, shocked._

 _I continued to sing as I raised my eyebrow at him. I actually spoke Spanish fluently due to my grandmother being Spanish. I looked over at Al. He was the one laughing now._

" _I'll unjinx her once you fix my hair." Al demanded._

 _His demands were fair. I would give anything to stop singing this stupid song. James lazily flicked his wand. Al's hair went from the bubble gum pink back to his jet black. Al waved his wand and I lost the urge to keep singing. Thank Merlin._

" _I didn't know you could speak Spanish." James said._

" _My grandmother is from Spain." I responded. "Want to see how fluent I am?"_

 _I looked over at Al and plastered a sickly-sweet smile on my face. Al's smile fell. Oh yes, the prank war was on._

" _Cuida tu espalda Albus. Esta encendido."_

" _What?" Al just stared at me._

 _I gave him a sweet smile, walking past him and out of the room._

Dom somehow managed to drag me out of my bed and down to the kitchen. I really didn't want to leave the safety of my room but Dom insisted I needed to eat something. Usually I would just as the Potter's house elf, Sweetie, to get my something when I was hungry.

When we walked into the kitchen, I wasn't hit with the familiar smell of Ginny's baking. Instead, food platters covered the counter. Ginny sat at the kitchen table, picking at her piece of casserole.

"Hi Aunt Ginny." Dom said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, hi sweetie." Ginny said, looking up from her plate. "Belle."

Oh no. I braced myself for Ginny's famous Bat-Bogey Hex. It never happened. Instead, she got up and gave me a motherly hug.

"I'm so glad you finally left that room."

What? What is happening?

"Do you want some sweet potato casserole?" Ginny asked. "Mum brought over some. Actually, she brought all of this over."

"What for?" I asked.

"Comfort food." Ginny said sadly. "She made enough to last us through the funeral."

The funeral.

My mood instantly sank back into the dark hole Dom dragged it out of.

"When is it?" I asked.

"In two days." Ginny replied softly.

My heart sunk even more.

" _Do it now." I whispered, holding back my giggles._

 _James pointed his wand at the closed door and muttered the spell under his breath. We waited for our cue._

" _Bloody fuck!" Al yelped from the shower._

 _James flicked his wand again, changing Al's shower water from cold to hot. On cue, Al cursed. We changed the temperature again._

" _Belle!" He yelled. "James!"_

" _Go!" I giggled, darting to James's room._

 _I jumped into his bed, grabbing a book of the bedside table, and flipped it open to a random page. James flopped down on the bed next to me, propping his head up with his arm._

" _Why did you never tell me you were fluent in Spanish?" He asked._

" _Never came up." I replied simply._

 _Al stormed into the bedroom, his towel wrapped around his waist._

" _How was your shower Al." I laughed. "You look a little chilly there."_

" _You declared war Belle." Al responded, a smirk forming on his face. "Be prepared."_

 _I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked out of James's bedroom._

" _We need to prepare." I said, turning to my boyfriend._

I picked at the piece of sweet potato casserole Ginny gave me. Dom sat next to me, scooping bits of her casserole into her mouth.

"I'm really glad Dom got you at of your room." Ginny said. "Harry and I were starting to get worried about you."

The swinging doors to the kitchen opened and James walked in. I looked at him. He looked at me, quickly adverting his gaze to somewhere else.

"Dom." He said.

 _The Potter children were well versed in the French language. They learned it at the request of their aunt, Dom's mother. Sometimes when I'm around, James and Al would switch to French to try and throw me off. Little did they know, my mother and her family were of French descent. Not only was I forced to learn Spanish as a child for my father's family, I also learned French for my mother's._

" _Je vous suggère et Belle dormir avec un œil ouvert." Al said._

" _Je pense que Belle aurait l'air bien avec les cheveux roses" James laughed._

 _He better not color my hair pink. I will retaliate with bigger and better pranks. Al and James continued to converse in French, dropping my name every once in a while. I sat there lounging in the loveseat, debating on if I should let them know if I could understand everything they were saying. I did just reveal to them yesterday that I could speak Spanish._

 _Why not drop another bomb?_

" _Je peux vous comprendre, vous savez."_

 _James and Al cut their conversation short and turned to look at me._

 _Surprise boys!_

" _You speak French too?" Al asked._

" _We've been dating for over a year and I didn't know this." James cried out._

" _James," Al said frantically, turning to his brother. "Think of everything we've ever said in French in front of Belle, thinking she couldn't understand us."_

" _Oh yeah." I said, a slight smirk forming on my face. "You two have said some pretty crude things."_

 _The look of fear on their faces was enough to satisfy me for the day._

"What are you doing here?" James asked his cousin.

"I came to get Belle out of her room." Dom stated. "She's been in there for three days."

"She should've stayed there." James muttered.

Dom stood up from the table, banging her fist down.

"Assez!" She snapped. "James, you need to stop being a little twit."

What the hell was she doing?

"Look," Dom said in a softer tone. "I get that your devastated about Al. I would be heartbroken if anything ever happened to Louis. But Belle feels like shit about the whole situation. So does your Mum, your Dad, Lily, and all of us. You can be angry at the world all you want but you don't need to be taking this out on Belle."

James looked over at me flicking his eyes back to his cousin.

"Don't come into my house and try to tell me how to feel." James said coolly.

He grabbed a plateful of casserole and walked out of the kitchen. I avoided looking at him, staring down at my plate instead. I tried to keep the tears back, a few managed to escape and run down my face though.

"He'll come around." Dom whispered. "He's just grieving differently."

Will he come around?

 _I opened the fridge, pulling out a galleon of chocolate milk. I turned to the counter, pouring myself a tall glass. Who didn't like a snack of cookies and milk? I went to put the galleon back in the fridge when the container exploded. Milk splashed all over me and the floor._

" _Albus!"_

 _Al stepped out of the corner. He has a please look on his face, clearly very proud of himself._

" _Looks like you made a bit of a mess here Belle." He said with a smirk._

" _Is that the best you can do?" I laughed. "If so, I'll win this war with no problems."_

" _Nah, it's only the beginning." Al smiled._

" _Good." I said. "Now come and give your favorite person a hug."_

 _I walked towards him with my arms out, milking dripping off the bottom of my shirt. Al darted out of my reach. I chased him around the kitchen, shouting out that he didn't love me._

I missed him.

 _Author's Note- So James and Belle started a prank war with Al. And let's not forget about that little language bomb Belle dropped._

 _Disclaimer- The song lyrics were from Despacito by Luis Fonsi._

 _Translations:_

 _Cuida tu espalda Albus. Esta encendido. - Watch your back Albus. It's on._

 _Je vous suggère et Belle dormir avec un œil ouvert. - I suggest you and Belle sleep with one eye open._

 _Je pense que Belle aurait l'air bien avec les cheveux roses - I think Belle would look good with pink hair_

 _Je peux vous comprendre, vous savez. - I can understand you, you know._

 _Assez! – Enough!_

 _"Slowly. I want to breathe your neck slowly. Let me tell you things in my ear. So you remember if you're not with me. " – Those are the song lyrics. However, the song is a Spanish song and is not meant to be read in English._

 _I promise next time not to throw so many languages in. I think I got a little happy with the translator. Another Disclaimer – All translations were done with Goggle. So if you're fluent in French or Spanish, it may be off._

 _This may be the longest AN I've ever written. You know what to do. Leave a review and tell me what you think._

 _I also want to give a quick shout out to Potterhead1994 and Dracoismyboyfriendguys for their helpful advice._

 _XOXO_


	6. Chapter 6

_Being trilingual is very beneficial for one's learning. I have mastered the art of keeping not one, not two, but three languages kept safely in my mind. If I can do that, surely, I can pass charms class._

" _J'en ai rien à faire" Dom muttered under her breath, tossing the parchment across the table._

" _Now Dom, I don't think that's very nice." Al said, leaning back in his chair._

" _Don't you have some O.W.L.s to study for." Dom snapped back._

" _We all know I'm the smart one in my family." Al replied. "I'll be fine."_

" _Hey! I resent that." James cried out._

" _Sweetie," I cooed. "You're barely passing potions and charms."_

 _James scowled and stared down at his essay._

I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Dom went home late last night. She tried to stay but I apparently did a good job convincing her I would be okay. If she stayed here any longer, well, who knows what she would've tried to make me do. I just wanted to be alone before tomorrow.

 _Exams started to creep upon us, causing fifth and seventh year students. Al's cocky attitude dropped and he began to ask me for help. I mean, I did get O's in Charms, Herbology, and Transfiguration, and E's in Defense, Potions, and Arithmancy (not to brag or anything). The only person to outscore me was Hallie Dunn, a Ravenclaw._

 _Al and I spent the majority of our days in the library. I would study for my exams, he would study for his. Whenever he needed help, I would stop what I was doing and explain it to him. I would return back to my work once he moved on._

I made a snap decision to venture out of my room and down to the kitchen for a snack. I was hoping I could make it down to the kitchen without running into anyone.

"Isa?"

Lily.

She refused to call me Belle like everyone else because she said it's too generic to go with the name everyone else uses. Thus, the nickname Isa was born.

"Hi Lils." I said softly.

"I…how are you?" She asked tentatively.

"Shitty." I responded, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah, me too." Lily whispered.

I grabbed a pint of ice cream out of the freezer. I snapped the lid off and snatched a spoon from the draw. I shoved a spoonful in my mouth. This was uncomfortable. Being around Lily made me feel guilty and uncomfortable.

"I miss him." I blurted out. "I miss Al."

"I do too." Lily said.

I looked over at the fridge. Ginny still had his O.W.L scores hanging up. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. Al's scores were amazing.

" _AL!" Lily screamed from the kitchen. "Al, your scores are in!"_

" _Merlin, could you be any louder?" I mumbled._

 _Al flew down the stairs. If it wasn't for his footsteps, I could've believed that he actually did fly downstairs._

" _Give, give, give." Al demanded, grabbing for the letter like a small child would grab for candy._

 _Lily, Ginny, Harry, James, and I watched as Al ripped open the letter. His eyes scanned over it but his face remained emotionless._

" _What did you get?" Ginny asked._

" _O's." Al replied. "I got O's in everything but Herbology."_

 _I snatched the letter out of his hands. Not only would he beat me with that score, he would also beat out Hallie Dunn._

" _He did. Al, you beat out Hallie Dunn and me." I said. "That's incredible."_

 _Al looked over at his father with a huge grin on his face._

" _So, when am I getting my new broom?"_

"God, I hate myself." I whimpered. "I wish I never got in that damn car. I wish I never took all."

I shoved the top of the ice cream back on, angrily shoving it back in the freezer. Lily just watched my fit of rage and tears.

"Isa."

"I ruined your whole family." I cried. "And my stupid parents won't come back home. I just want to go home."

"Isa, stop." Lily cried.

I brushed the tears off my face and looked at her.

"You did not ruin our family. You are home, we are your home." She whispered. "I miss Al so much, but I miss you too. I miss the old happy you."

"Me too."

"I know James is being very cold to you." Lily said.

"He has every right too." I responded.

"I think things will be better after tomorrow." She said. "I think he just needs closure."

I'm not too sure about that Lils. James is pretty pissed at me.

"Here." Lily walked over to me.

She handed me a plate that had a sandwich and some crisps. I took it from her and gave her a confused look.

"It's for James." She said lightly. "I think you should take it to him."

"Oh Lils." I sighed, handing the plate back to her. "He's so mad at me. He doesn't want to see me."

"Please, just take it." Lily pleased.

I sighed. Of course, I was going to say yes to her. I couldn't say no to Lily.

"Fine," I sighed.

" _This broom is awesome!" Al yelled as he zipped around the backyard._

 _Harry didn't back down on his promise. He told Al if he got 3 O's that he would get him the latest broom model. Al went and exceeded his expectations. I zipped around James on my broom. All four of us kids were chasing each other around, abandoning our little two on two game of Quidditch._

" _Hey!" James yelped._

" _Catch me if you can." I taunted, sticking my tongue out before zipping off._

I held the plate tightly in one hand and formed a fist with the other. I held it up to knock on the door but froze. I couldn't face him yet. After what he said the other night, the last thing he would want to see is my face Maybe I could just leave the plate on the floor, knock and ditch.

 _Just knock!_ My heart screamed.

I raised my hand back up to knock but the door flew open before I could make contact. James stood in the doorway. He was wearing one of his Quidditch tee shirts and a pair of black shorts. He looked at me but his face remained emotionless.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Oh, um…" I stumbled on my words. "Lily asked me to bring up your lunch."

James silently took the plate away from me and began to shut the door.

"Wait!" I yelped.

What am I doing?

"Can we talk?" I asked. "Please?"

"No."

The door slammed shut in my face.

The blow went right to my gut.

 _AN – Here we are, chapter 6! I got some goodies for the next chapter_

 _J'en ai rien à faire – screw this_


	7. Chapter 7

"James." Belle whispered. "Please, we need to."

"I said no Isabelle." I growled at the closed door.

I placed the plate on my desk and flopped onto my bed. I looked up at the ceiling, letting my thoughts take over. I loved Belle, I really did. I still do. It's just, she's not the same Belle anymore. Whenever I look at her, I'm just reminded of what happened to Al. Al is probably furious at how I've been treating Belle. He would say something along the lines of _'She's the best damn thing to ever happen to you. What in the bloody fuck are you doing!'_ It was just one big mess. I missed Belle but I was angry with her. I wanted to cuddle with her and hold her close, but I also wanted her to stay as far away as possible.

"Ugh!" I groaned, shoving my pillow over my face

" _She's amazing Al."_

" _She's that perfect?"_

 _Al sat on my dorm room bed as I gather my stuff up to head home for winter break._

" _Mum's going to love her."_

" _You sound like a teenage girl." Al laughed. "Is this what love does to people?"_

" _She's unlike any other girl I've been with." I replied. "She isn't fazed by the fact that I'm a Potter. She just sees me as me."_

Today was the day.

I had to force myself out of bed and put on the black suit Mum left on my desk. I went to reach for the black tie she left out but I jerked my hand back in a snap decision. I walked over to my closet. Flipping the light on, I snatched a tie off the holder. It was one Al gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I thought the stupid thing was ugly but it was something Al gave to me. I was going to wear it today whether I liked it or not.

I glanced in the mirror after I finished getting dressed. I looked like a twit. Al and I would make fun of Ministry workers when we were younger by how they dressed. Today, I look like one.

" _Look Albie." I whispered. "That man has a blue one."_

" _Oooo." Al laughed._

 _Dad had taken us to work with him since Mum had an emergency at work. Usually Albie and I would be at muggle school but we didn't have to go because the teacher have a special day today. I think, I don't know. We liked to make fun of the boring looking men._

I opened my bedroom door and walked out of my room. Belle stepped out of hers. We made awkward eye contact. Her brown hair was straightened, part of it pinned up. She wore a modest black dress with black sandals. She looked so beautiful. I just wish it wasn't for this.

Belle was the first to break eye contact. She ducked her head down and practically ran down the stairs. There was a slight pain in my chest. She acted like that because of me. Every time I would feel guilty, though, anger would rise up in me and remind me why I was mad.

Belle was the reason Al is no longer with us.

I followed her down to the kitchen. Lily sat at the kitchen table, Mum and Dad stood behind the counter, and Belle stood as much in the corner as she could while looking down at the floor.

"Okay," Mum said softly. "Everyone is here. We can head over then."

" _Who's the girl?" Al asked, dropping his school books on the table next to me._

" _Oh, that's just Isabelle Stein." I said, glancing up from my Defense essay. "She tutors me."_

 _Al just gaped at me, lost for words. I went back to working on my essay._

" _She tutors you?" Al asked slowly, clearly confused._

" _Yeah, she's one of the top students in my year." I replied._

" _You're studying?" Al pointed out._

" _Yes Al, people need to study for their O.W.L.S." I answered._

 _Al looked around and at all my stuff before running a hand through his messy black hair._

" _Bloody hell, you fancy her."_

" _What, no I don't." I quickly denied._

" _Yes, you do!" Al laughed. "You excel in Defense. You don't need a tutor."_

 _Well shit._

We flooed over to the funeral home. The place was gloomy. Yes, there were flowers, chairs, couches, and a bunch of other stuff everywhere. The air just had a gloomy feel to it. In the front of the main room, the casket stood in the center. It was closed. I don't think I could handle if it was open. Belle went to the corner of the room, trying to distance herself as much as possible.

Mum ushered Lily and I up to the front by Al as people started to pile in. The experience was horrid. Everyone would make their way up, giving Lily and then me a hug, telling us they were sorry for our loss and how amazing Al was. It was like pouring salt on a fresh wound.

The process would drag on. Eventually, we were allowed to take our seats in the front row for the actual funeral. Belle was seated next to me. Her eyes were red and slightly puffy. I could tell she's been crying. As the funeral continued on, it soon became my turn to speak. Nervously, I got up and stood behind the podium next to Al.

"My brother was not only my brother." I started. "He was also one of my best friends. Being so close in age, it was inevitable that we were going to be close. Al and I did everything together, despite being in different years and houses at Hogwarts."

I could feel the tears coming. They clogged my throat and made it hard for me to talk.

"Al was an amazing person." The tears ran freely down my face. "He was taken from us too soon. I'll always miss him."

Tears ran silently down my face. I brushed them away as I went back to my seat. As my dad got up to speak, I glanced over at Belle. She was crying. I placed my hand on her thigh, palm up. She looked down at it. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in mine.

I placed my anger at her to the side. Right now, I needed Belle by my side.

" _Well, well, well."_

 _Oh no._

" _If it isn't my favorite brother!" Al's loud voice boomed across the pub._

" _I'm your only brother." I muttered._

" _Mmm, yes." Al said. "And this beautiful catch must be Isabelle Stein."_

 _This isn't how the way of life is supposed to work. I'm the one who's supposed to embarrass Al, not the other way around._

" _I prefer Belle." She said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Albus."_

" _I prefer Al." He replied with a smirk._

 _Al planted himself in the seat next to me. He looked over at my drink and snatched my butterbeer from in front of me._

" _Hey!" I cried out. "Get your own you prat."_

" _James!" Al gasped, faking shock. "You should be nicer to your baby brother. What are you showing to the lovely Miss Belle?"_

" _That my family is insane and I'll probably have to beg for a second date?"_

" _Ah ha!" Al shouted, jumping up. "You fancy the pants off her!"_

 _Oh Merlin, why was I cursed with such an embarrassing brother?_

Godric's Hollow was a beautiful and peaceful place. I stood up at the front of the graveyard with my parents. Belle stood by my side, her hand still holding mine. I brushed my tears away as they lowered my brother into the ground. Mum tossed a white rose on top on the casket. Slowly, they began to fill the hole. Any sight left of Al was soon covered by pieces of the Earth. I watch Dad make his way over to the two graves next to Al. It was his parents, the original James and Lily Potter.

"Please take care of my boy." I heard Dad say. "Please watch over him for me until I can get there."

Fuck.

I turned to Belle, nuzzling my head into her shoulder. I couldn't hold it back anymore. Loud sobs escaped my throat and the tears just poured out. Belle held me as tight as she could, not fighting back her own tears either.

"I'm so sorry James." She cried. "I'm so sorry."

She buried her head in my chest, sobbing. I looked over at my parents. My dad was holding Lily close, my Mum sat on the ground right next to the fresh dirt that covered Al.

 _I sat on Al's bed, anxiously waiting for Belle to arrive. She would be spending the rest of the summer with my family while her parents traveled the world. I couldn't wait to have her here for two months. Not only was she my girlfriend, she was my best friend and I enjoyed every moment I spend with her._

" _James, stop bouncing." Al snapped._

 _I quickly stopped moving my leg._

" _Sorry." I said. "I just really want Belle to get here."_

" _You're so obsessed with her." Al laughed, rolling his eyes._

" _She's amazing." I whispered. "You know, I can see a future with her. Getting married, having kids, all that shit."_

" _She really has made you a better person."_

" _She's perfect." I said. "Check this out."_

 _I flicked my wand and a little box floated into the room. Al grabbed it and opened it. He looked up at me, his mouth gaping._

" _Holy shit. James, is this an engagement ring?"_

" _No." I said, shaking my head. "It's a promise ring. A promise that one day I will marry my Isabelle Stein."_

 _Al tossed the box to me._

" _When did you stop acting like a bloody tosser and became such the romantic?"_

 _I tossed a nearby water bottle at his head._

My dad came over and started to usher everyone to the car. We knew our family members would be waiting at home for us. Before I headed over to the car, I made one more stop to my brother. I knelt down by his temporary headstone and look at the ground.

"Al." I whispered. "I need some help. Belle…I love her but, I…I just can't get over the anger that she survived that crash but you didn't. I…I…Fuck, I just don't know what to do. You were always the one to give me advice when I messed things up with her."

I stood up to start heading over to the car.

"I could use some advice now."

A warm breezed wrapped around me like a blanket. I knew Al was around and heard me. I jogged over to my parents and opened the door to the backseat. I took one last look at Al.

"I'll be back soon." I whispered, jumping into the backseat.

 _Author's Note- I'm back! Usually I'm updating pretty quickly so I'm sorry this one took a little longer. I've been busy with summer camp and work that I didn't have much time to write this week. But I hope you enjoyed this little chapter from James's viewpoint. I'm not sure if I want to switch from Belle to James occasionally. Leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter_

 _XOXO_


	8. Chapter 8

" _I love you."_

" _What?" I said, looking up from my Charms book._

" _I love you." James repeated._

" _I…I love you too." I stuttered._

 _James just smiled at me and went back to working on his Charms essay. I stared at him. He just told me he loved me for the first time. Holy shit._

I sat in the back of the Potter's SUV. Nobody said anything. I watched the buildings pass as we drove by. I was left in my thoughts. Ginny made the decision not to floo back to the house to give us some time alone before we had to see the Weasleys back home. I thought about the funeral. This was the most contact James and I have had ever since the accident. We held each other's hand for comfort and held each other when we needed to. We didn't exchange words; our silence presence was enough. I was hoping today would be a step in the right direction for repairing our relationship but I wasn't holding to tightly on that idea. James just watched his brother get buried. His emotions are probably all out of whack and all over the place right now. I glanced over at James. He just stared blankly out his window. I wanted to scoot over and snuggle up to him, but I kept myself glued down to my spot.

Harry pulled the car into the driveway. I could see James's Nana Molly peeking out the window, watching for us. I opened my door and climbed out of the back seat. Lily made her way out from the very back. I looked down at the ground as we walked inside, bracing myself for the full impact of the Weasleys.

When we stepped inside, Dom was the first to greet me. She left her sister and sister's fiancée and come over to pull me right into a tight hug.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" She asked.

She sounded like such a mum. Dom was going to be amazing when she has kids.

"I'm doing as good as I can for the situation." I answered, glancing over at James.

He stood next to the doorway, conversing with his Uncle Charlie. He gazed up at me. Quickly, I broke our eye contact. I reminded myself that what happened today was because of emotional tension being high.

"Good." Dom said. "I know today was hard."

"Yeah." I muttered, glancing over at James again. "It was."

I watched as he excused himself from his Uncle and made his way over to us. I quickly glanced back down at the floor.

"Dom." James said, giving his cousin a hug. "Belle, can I speak to you?"

My head snapped up to look at my boyfriend. Did I hear him correctly?

"Um…yes?"

James nodded and then turned on his heel. I followed him as he walked out of the living room and up the stairs. He opened his bedroom door and gestured for me to enter. Slowly, I made my way over to his bed. It has been a while since I was last in here.

"Sit." He commanded.

Awkwardly, I took a seat on the corner of his bed.

"James." I blurted out.

"No." He interrupted. "I'm going to speak."

All right then.

"First, I want to apologize for how I've been treating you the past couple of days. It was wrong of me." James said. "Secondly, I'm not mad at you Belle."

My heart felt like it was doing backflips in my chest. He said he wasn't mad at me.

"I'm hurt. Al was my best friend. But today, when I gave my little speech, I realized something. I lost Al and how I was acting to losing Al was causing me to lose you too."

No James, you could never lose me.

"I wish that both of you would've survived that accident." James continued. "Better yet, I wish neither of you got into that car. The point is Belle, I still love you. I just need some time."

"I know." I said to him softly. "We'll work past this. I believe our relationship is strong enough to make it through this. Je t'aime."

"I hope so." James said.

 _I flooed into the Potters' living room, my bags coming in behind me. I hated flooing. It was a horrid way of transportation and I have yet to manage to come out of a fireplace as gracefully as some._

" _James is going to be so mad that he wasn't here."_

" _Al." I said with a smile as I brushed soot off my clothing. "Where is James?"_

" _Mum made him run an errand for her because he wouldn't shut up about you arriving today." Al smirked._

" _I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know that you shared that information with me." I replied._

 _I could feel the blood just rushing to my cheeks. I probably was now the same shade of a cherry red tomato. Al just laughed at me._

" _You two are just so easy to embarrass." He said proudly. "You two should've started dating earlier so I could have someone to torment."_

" _Al!"_

"I'm going to head back downstairs." I whispered.

I pushed myself off the bed and made my way over to the door.

"Belle, wait." James called out.

I turned back around to look at him. He got up off his bed and walked over to me. He took both my wrist and pinned me between him and the door.

"I just need some time." He whispered, his face some mere inches away from mine.

He tilted his head down a little and crashed his lips into mine. His kiss was rough and hungry, not sweet and gentle like they used to be. I didn't reject it though. I missed his attention, his touch, his love, him in general. I would take what I could get.

 _It was nearing winter break. The days were short and cold. I laid snuggled up to James in his dorm bed, his body close to mine. His touch made my skin feel like it was on fire. His arm was draped over my waist, holding me close to him. His kisses trailed down my neck to my shoulder and eventually back to my mouth. They were deep, sweet, loving kisses. Slowly, but surely, we tangled ourselves up to where I was laying on my back and James was holding himself over top of me._

" _Belle." James moaned._

 _His voice was light, husky, very seductive and attractive._

" _Babe." I whispered, pulling his face towards mine for a kiss._

 _He went along with it for a few seconds before pulling back away. I frowned._

" _Are you sure you want to do this?"_

" _Yes, I love you James." I answered._

" _I love you too, my beautiful Belle."_

 _He brought himself back to me, sweeping me away with a deep and passionate kiss._

"I just need some time." James said once he broke away.

I was still in shock from what just happened.

"Okay." I whispered.

 _Author's Note- Alright, so not going to lie, this was a bit of a filler chapter. I just need to get the ball rolling for James and Belle to go back to Hogwarts. So I apologize for the shortness of the chapter and the lack of Al. I did want to clear some of the air between James and Belle but...we'll see what drama will happen at school_

je t'aime – I love you


	9. Chapter 9

"Why are you just now telling me this!" Dom cried out.

It's been three weeks since Al's funeral. After tomorrow, we would be heading back to school for a brand-new year. Our last first day of school. Since the funeral, I haven't spoken a word to James. Not that it surprised me. He asked for space, so I was giving it to him.

"Well, technically we never broke up so my boyfriend can kiss me whenever he wants." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah, well, not many boyfriends give their girlfriend the cold shoulder after accusing her of being the reason his brother died." Dom tossed back.

I felt my body stiffen a little. Since the funeral, I've been slowly dragging myself out of the dark hole I was in. Every day, I would remind myself that it was an accident and Al's death was not my fault.

"Oh shit, I should not have said that." Dom quickly said. "Belle, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I've been getting better with the whole situation." I told her.

"Hmm, really?" Dom asked. "So, then you want mind going to Diagon Alley with me to get ice cream?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea Dom."

I've been avoiding going into the wizarding world ever since the accident. Al was a Potter. News about a Potter could spread faster than a wildfire. I just wasn't ready for that yet.

"Come on Belle." Dom pleaded. "I really want some ice cream and I still need to get you a birthday present."

Ah yes, my seventeenth birthday. I was definitely the baby of my year. I made the cutoff by one day, the thirty-first of August. With my parents being gone and the accident, I didn't really give my birthday much of a second thought. I just assumed I would brush it under the rug and pretend that it was just the day before school.

"I wish I could take you out tomorrow to go to a club but I figured that would be a bad idea to do right before school." Dom rambled. "We'll celebrate today instead and get drunk another time."

"Dom!"

" _Happy birthday!"_

" _Oh guys, no!"_

 _My cries were ignored. Al and Lily leaped on my bed, their bodies crashing down on top of me. It was way too early for this. Lily and Al rolled off me and sat on either side of me. They both held their presents out in front of my face._

" _Guys, you didn't have to get me anything." I said._

" _But we wanted to." Lily responded. "Plus, we wanted to give you ours before James gave you his. We knew that we couldn't top his so we wanted some glory for at least a little bit."_

 _I laughed. I could only imagine what James could've possibly gotten me. I took the box from Lily first, carefully unwrapping the paper. It was a new quill set. It had new ink, new fancy quills, and the nice expensive parchment. I love it._

" _Thanks Lils." I said, leaning over to give her a hug._

 _I tore into Al's present next. He got me a whole new cleaning set, which I desperately needed. I've been putting off cleaning my broom for so long. James was getting so annoyed with me that I think he's been cleaning it for me when I'm not around._

" _Thanks Al." I said, giving him a hug too. "Your presents were great. I actually needed everything you gave me."_

" _We figured." Lily laughed. "When in doubt, go practical."_

Here I was, walking down the main street in Diagon Alley. I felt uncomfortable from the attention of people. The thing about dating a Potter is that you instantly become famous too. Since James and I have been dating for almost two years, I was a topic of interest for the gossip columns. People knew the name Isabelle Stein, James Potter's girlfriend. Plus, walking around with Dom, a part of the second most famous family in the wizarding world, didn't help the attention either. We walked past a news stand to make our way to the ice cream parlor.

 **Harry Potter's son dies tragically in a muggle car accident**

Of course it was going to be on the front page of the papers. It still didn't change the fact that my heart plummeted down to my stomach. Dom reached over and grabbed my hand.

"Come on." She whispered. "Half the information in there is probably wrong."

I glanced back at the news stand as Dom drags me over to the ice cream parlor. She was right. Half the information in the paper was probably wrong. They got one thing right though. Al did die tragically in a car accident.

 _I placed Lily and Al's gifts on my desk as I got dressed for the day. I put on a cute teal blue dress that had a sheer patterned cardigan. I paired it with some plain black wedges before pulling half my hair up in a little top knot. I took a quick glance in the mirror before bouncing down to the kitchen._

" _Good morning birthday girl!"_

" _Good morning James." I said with a big smile, planting a kiss on his cheek._

" _You look beautiful." He said. "Mum made your favorite. Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon."_

" _No, she didn't!" I squealed. "Your whole family has been so nice to me. You let me stay last minute while my parents went to America. Al and Lily got me thoughtful gifts and your mum made my favorite breakfast."_

" _It gets better. Your present from me is over in the corner." James said._

 _I turned around to see a tall box sitting in the corner. I darted over, quickly tearing the paper and ribbons off. I pulled the lid off to find a brand-new broomstick. I snatched it up and glanced down at the handle._

" _No way!"_

 _I looked up at my boyfriend. He just leaned back in his chair, grinning like a total idiot. He was clearly proud of himself._

" _James, this is the Firebolt 3.0." I gasped. "This just came out like last month."_

" _I only want the best for my favorite girl."_

" _This must've cost a fortune." I said, suddenly feeling guilty._

 _New brooms were not cheap. I knew that James had more than enough money to buy it but I felt bad that he dropped all the money on me. He could've bought himself a new broom or something._

" _The cost isn't important." James said offhand. "I'll take a kiss as a thank you though."_

 _I smirked and sat down in my boyfriend's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and placed my forehead on his._

" _Thank you so much baby." I whispered before planting a kiss on his lips._

Dom dragged me all around Diagon Alley. She settled on buying me some sweets and a new dress as birthday present. After much whining and complaining, I was able to convince her to take me back to the Potters'. We apparated into the kitchen. Lily sat at the kitchen table while Ginny was making supper.

"You're back." Lily said with a smile. "Belle, this arrived in the mail for you."

She pushed the box that was sitting on the table over to me. I looked at it a bit confused.

"Weird, I didn't order anything online." I said, tearing the tape off the box.

I opened the flaps of the box. My hands flew up to my mouth as I let out a huge gasp. Quickly, I pulled the item out of the box. I cradled it as if it was a new born child.

"What is it?" Dom asked.

"It's a first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen." I whispered. "It's a rare book."

"There's a note." Lily said, pulling a piece of paper out of the box.

She handed it to me and I gently sat my book back in the box to read the note.

 _Happy Birthday Belle!_

 _I know how much you love reading classic books. I also know how much you love_

 _Jane Austen. In this package is a first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice. I hope_

 _you enjoy it. Can't wait to spend your seventeenth birthday with you!_

 _Albus_

Oh my god. I clutched the letter to my chest as I started to cry. This book was so rare. I know for a fact that it cost almost four hundred pounds. I couldn't believe Al bought this for me, spent that much money on me.

"Belle? Who's it from?" Dom asked, worry lining her entire face.

"Al." I sobbed.

It was a present from a dead man.

 _Author's note- Alright, so not exactly the chapter I wanted but it's going to lead to the events I want. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. I do not own Pride and Prejudice. That story belongs to Jane Austen. Leave a review about what you think. I'll be alternating between updating on Uprising and this story so be on the lookout for that._

 _XOXO_


	10. Chapter 10

I was a hot mess.

I was just standing in the center of the kitchen, sobbing with everything I had in my body. I wasn't even trying to hold anything back. I just let it all out. Dom and Lily weren't quite sure what to do. Ginny stopped messing with dinner. She came over and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in close.

"Oh sweetie, shhh." Ginny whispered, brushed my hair with her fingers.

It was a calming gesture that she did. My sobs became slightly muffled as I buried my face in her shoulder.

"This looks so old." Lily said, pulling the cardboard box closer to her. "It's such a thoughtful gift."

I cried a little harder into Ginny's shoulder. Lily was right, it was a thoughtful gift. That's what made it hurt even more. He wasn't even here anymore to enjoy the happiness he brought to those around him. Even in the afterlife, Al was still delivering joy to his friends and family.

I heard the kitchen door swing up and I lifted my head slightly to see who it was. I brushed some of the falling tears away but more came to replace them.

"Um…what's going on?" James asked.

Nobody said anything to him. Dom just handed him the note that came with the book. I turned my head to the side, still leaning on Ginny while being able to watch James. My sobs started to calm down some. I watched James as his eyes quickly scanned over the note. Placing it down on the table, he looked up at me. He made brief eye contact before he walked over to me.

He didn't storm out.

He held out his arms, offering his embrace to me. I pulled myself off of Ginny and into James's arms, nuzzling my face into his chest. He planted a gentle kiss on my temple. It felt good that he was being nice today. It showed that we were taking a step in the right direction.

"Hey." James whispered. "It'll be all right. Think of it as like a nice little surprise."

"I feel awful." I cried. "Al was such a thoughtful person. He still is. And now he's gone and I feel so guilty."

"It'll be okay Belle." He said.

I looked up at him.

"I promise."

He pulled me close, squeezing my body tightly.

"Now, go wipe those tears away and get ready." James instructed. "We have an early birthday dinner to get to."

I looked up at him, again, with a puzzled look on my face. I looked over at Dom. She had a big smile on her face, as if she was pleased with herself.

"I thought you said you wanted space?" I said, confused. "I didn't think you'd do anything for my birthday."

"No matter how mad I am at you, I can't miss your birthday. Besides, I think I'm ready to talk about things." James said.

He pulled away from me and ushered me into my bathroom to clean up.

 _James took me to this cute little café for dinner. He actually had reservations for some upscale restaurant but I made him cancel them. He already spent way too much money on my broom. My dinner didn't need to be expensive too. The café we went to was nice. It was small and cozy, giving off that warm family friendly vibe._

" _I'll have a burger." I said to our server. "Well-done and no onion please. And… just a garden salad and chips."_

" _Okay." The server said, turning to James. "And for you?"_

" _I'll have the same but I'll take onions on mine." James said, placing on menus at the end of the table._

" _Okay, I'll get that right in for you." She said._

" _Thank you." James said with a smile._

 _I looked over at my boyfriend and smirked._

" _If you think I'm going to kiss you after you eat onions, you're wrong." I laughed._

 _James pretended to pout, crossing his arms across his chest like a little child._

" _Aww, how am I supposed to give you your birthday kiss then?" He whined._

" _Should've thought about that before." I giggled._

I lightly touched up my makeup, trying to hide the fact that I've been bawling my eyes out. I checked my reflection in the mirror. I felt presentable enough. I left the bathroom and made my way back down to the kitchen. James was waiting for me. He changed him outfit, wearing a nice polo shirt and a pair of tan khakis.

"Ready?" He asked.

I looked over at Dom and Lily. Dom just rolled her eyes before pushing James and I towards each other.

"Bloody hell, you two have been dating for almost two years." Dom said. "This is a good step in light of recent events."

She was right, this was the biggest step we've taken ever since the accident. James held out his hand but I quickly stepped back away from him. Everyone looked at me, puzzled.

"I…" I stuttered. "There's somewhere we need to go first."

James nodded and held his hand out for me to take. I leaned in and whispered the location to him.

 _I was six years old the first time my parents took me side along while apparating. The sensation was the strangest thing I've ever felt. It made my stomach feel funny. It was also one of the few memories I had of my parents enjoying the fact that they had a child._

 _They have taken me to France for the evening. For a six-year-old, Paris was like a magical fairy tale land. Lights twinkled from buildings, the Eiffel Tower shining brightly, and the liveliness of the people. My parents took me to some upscale fancy restaurant. Was it appropriate for young children? Probably not. They made me try snail. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone._

We landed on a hillside. James took a step forward to help regain his balance. He slowly spun around which he checked out our surroundings.

"Godric's Hollow." He said. "What are we doing here?"

"I wanted to say thank you." I simply responded, making my way over to the graveyard.

James didn't say anything, he just followed. We made our way past his grandparents' graves and over to Al's. I sat on the ground next to the headstone. James stayed back a few paces.

"Hey Al." I whispered.

I could already feel the tears wanting to come up.

"I wanted to say thank you for the book. It's amazing. I'm still in shock that you even found it."

I looked down at the ground, blinking away some of my tears.

"James is taking me out to dinner. We've been going through a rough spot ever since the accident but I think it's starting to get a little better."

I blinked a few more tears away.

"I really miss you Al."

 _The first time I met James was on the Hogwarts Express. We were at that ripe young age of eleven. I ran into him on the train…literally. He found it to be hilarious. He was already a hotshot at Hogwarts and we didn't even make it to the castle. Students were star struck by the idea that they were going to school with the Harry Potter's eldest child. I wasn't impressed. My parents were socialites. Celebrities and children of celebrities didn't faze me._

" _Look." I said, rolling my eyes. "Sorry I ran into you but could you please move?"_

 _James look taken aback._

" _Do you know who I am?" He asked._

" _James Sirius Potter." I responded with sass. "Age eleven. First year student at Hogwarts. Son of Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Potter nee Weasley. You have two younger siblings. Albus Severus Potter who is ten and Lily Luna Potter who is eight. Now will you please move?"_

 _James and his little posse just started at me in shock. I shoved my way past them._

 _That was my first encounter with James Potter._

"We can go." I whispered, walking away from Al's grave.

"See you later bro." James said as we turned to leave.

We walked down the hill to where we first started. This time, James pulled out his wand. He held out his elbow for me to grab onto. I linked my arm around his and felt the familiar tug of apparition.

We landed in a dark alley way. As I followed James out into the street, I immediately knew where I was. The giant landmark was a dead giveaway.

"You brought me to Paris?" I asked.

"Yeah." James shrugged. "Come on, I have reservations for us."

I followed James through the streets of Paris. We made our way through the crowd to a decent restaurant. It wasn't high class or fancy but it also wasn't a tiny little café. It was more of an in-between, fancy enough for reservations but not too fancy.

"James Potter." James said to the host.

The host gathered up our menus and lead us back to our table. He seated up and told us our waitress would be with us shortly. I picked up my menu, glancing over my options.

"Don't try the snail." I said.

James wasn't looking at his menu but instead was looking at me. I set my menu down and looked back at him.

"Are you ready to talk?' I asked.

"Every time I look at you now, I see Al." He started. "I know it was an accident. I know I shouldn't be angry at you…but I am."

"James."

"Belle…I think we should take a break."

I stared at him, taken aback by his comment.

"You want to break up?" I managed to whisper.

"No, Belle, I just…"

"Save your breath." I interrupted. "I'm going home."

"Belle, you can't apparate yet."

"I'll call the Knight Bus." I responded, storming out the restaurant.

 _I was twelve when my parents decided that didn't want to be parents anymore. I would spend holiday breaks at the castle and summer breaks with family members and friends. Rarely did I see my parents anymore. They would always miss my birthday, always just sending a card with some lame excuse. Attached with the lame excuse was always a souvenir for wherever they were and a bag full of gold._

I refused to leave my room. No one was going to get me out of that room. Ginny tried, Harry tried, Lily tried, even Dom tried but I refused to move. I stayed in the safety of my room, packing whatever belonging of mine that weren't coming to school. Usually, I would just leave them here because I would spend the holidays with the Potters. Now since I'm of legal age, I'll be staying at my parents' house. I cried the whole time. Everything was so bittersweet. When I first started dating James, he became my world. I never imagined the day we would break up.

I waved my wand at the last piece of luggage I had and watched it disappear. I took a look around the room. It was just as empty as it was the first time I stayed with the Potters. It was no longer my room, but just another guest room. Slowly and quietly, I opened the bedroom door and began to head downstairs. I was going to spend the last night before school in the comfort of my own home.

Since I haven't passed my apparition test yet, I had to floo home. My goal was to make it to the family room without being noticed.

"Isabelle?"

I failed.

"Um…Hello Harry." I said nervously.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

"Yeah, I…um… I'm going home." I stuttered.

"Hmm. Any reason why?"

"I, um…I miss my own bed?" I tried.

"Of course." Harry said. "Anything going on with my son? You weren't gone for your birthday dinner for long."

Should I lie? Should I just tell the truth?

"We didn't make it to dinner." I answered honestly. "I think James and I broke up."

"I see." Harry mused. "Those were his exact words?"

"Well, he said we should take a break." I said.

"Belle, a word of wisdom before you leave. My son, he can be an idiot." Harry said. "But, he has been the best I've ever seen him since he started dating you. His judgement is clouded by the recent events."

"Harry, with all due respect." I started. "I love James, I really do. I feel terrible for everything I put him through. But I don't know how long I can wait for him to stop being angry at me."

Harry nodded as I stepped into the fireplace. I gave him a sad smile and threw the floo powder at my feet.

Tomorrow we would be back at Hogwarts. Who knows what the hell is going to happen there.

 _Author's note- So, this is the longest chapter so far. They're finally going to be going back to school! Hopefully, I set up the drama in the direction I wanted. So James and Belle were going in the direction we wanted and BOOM James suggests a break._

 _Tell me what you think in a review loves._

 _XOXO_


	11. Chapter 11

"What the hell James!"

"Good morning to you too Lils." I muttered.

I rolled over in my bed, trying to adjust to the fact that Lily just chucked something at my head to wake me up. I glanced over at my clock. Eight in the morning. We weren't even leaving for Kings Cross until ten fifteen. Why the hell was Lily waking me up so early.

"Where's Isa?" She shouted at me.

"Merlin fuck Lils, she's in her room." I said, pulling one of my pillows over my head.

"No, she's not." Lily snapped. "I asked Daddy but he said not to worry about it."

"Then don't worry about it." I mumbled.

"James, all her stuff is gone. Like everything. What the hell did you do to her last night." Lily said.

I nearly leapt out of my bed, making my way to Belle's room. I flung her bedroom door open. All her possessions were gone. The room was bare, minus the few pieces of furniture we kept in there.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Well?" Lily asked, clearly wanting answers.

"Last night I told Belle I wanted to take a break. She took it as I wanted to break up." I answered.

"You are an idiot." Lily muttered under her breath.

"I didn't think she was just going to up and leave in the middle of the night!" I cried out.

"I'm calling Dom." Lily said, whipping out her phone. "You don't tell a girl you want to take a break, you ninny. That's universal code for 'let's break up but I'm too much of a wimp to do it.'"

She held the phone up to her ear and headed back to her room as it rang.

"Dom! Hey it's Lily. Listen, have you heard from Isa lately?"

She shut the bedroom door behind her.

I walked back into mine, grabbing my phone off my bedside table. There were no text or missed calls. I opened my contacts and scrolled down to Belle's. I tapped on her name, putting the phone up to my ear as it began to ring.

One ring.

Two rings.

"Hey! You reached Isabelle Stein. I'm unable to answer my phone right now so please leave a message!"

I waited for the beep to record myself.

"Belle, it's me. Call me as soon as possible or I'll see you on the train."

I hit the end button and placed my cell phone back on the table. I knew she had her phone in her hand. It only rang twice. Belle had sent me straight to voicemail. I sighed.

I didn't mean what I said last night. Well, I did but I didn't. Part of my mind screams break up with her, you're mad at her. The majority of me screams don't. I thought about the promise ring that sat in my bedside table drawer. I grabbed the little black box and opened it up. The ring sparkled at every angle. It was beautiful, handpicked for Belle. I shoved the ring box in my pocket, snatching my wand off the table and giving it a flick.

" _That one." I said, pointing the simple but elegant ring in the back corner._

" _Ahh, yes." The sales lady said with a smile. "I find it simple but classy."_

 _I beamed with happiness as I handed her the money. The sales lady placed the ring gently in the small black box and placed it in a little bag._

" _You have a wonderful day sir."_

" _You too." I replied._

"Belle!" I called out, walking out of her kitchen. "Belle, are you here?"

"James?"

I walked over to the staircase. Belle came out of her room, standing at the top of the staircase.

"James, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Lily said you moved all your stuff out of your room." I said.

"We broke up. I couldn't stay there anymore." Belle replied.

"I didn't mean what I said." I began, making my way up the stairs. "I made a mistake. You are the best thing to ever happen to me Isabelle Lynn Stein. I don't ever want to lose you. I'm sorry I ruined your birthday dinner. I'm sorry I'm such an idiot."

"James." Belle whispered. "I love you so much. But…but I can't stay with you if you blame me for Al's accident."

"No!" I blurted out. "I did at first. I was so angry and consumed with grief. I know it wasn't your fault."

I wrapped my hand around the black box in my pocket. Should I give it to her?

"Promise?" She asked.

Yes.

"Yes," I whispered, taking the ring box out of my pocket. "It's a little late, but here's your birthday present."

I held the black box out to her and Belle slowly took it from me. She carefully opened it up, her free hand flying up to her mouth to hide her shocked expression.

"James, this isn't what I think it is…is it?"

"It's a promise ring." I explained. "A promise that I'll love you, care for you, and one day hopefully marry you. A promise that I won't be a stupid ninny and do dumb things like I did last night."

"Oh James." Belle sighed. "It's so beautiful."

She slipped it on her finger and held her hand up to examine it.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven for last night?" I asked.

"Only if you promise never to do it again." Belle said, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in for a snog.

I have to say, she's pretty amazing.

Al is probably cheering from the heavens, glad I'm done being a fuckwit.

Belle came back to the house with me to head to Kings Cross with everyone else. Lily seemed pretty happy that Belle was back.

"Owl us if you need anything." Mum said, kissing us all on the forehead. "You too Belle."

"Come here girls." Dad said, holding his arms out for Lily and Belle.

They both gave Dad a hug and Mum ushered them over to the train. Dad turned his attention back to me.

"I see you made up with Isabelle." He stated.

"Um…yeah, we did." I replied.

"Good. A girl like that isn't going to wait around forever for you to get your shit together." Dad said. "Don't mess up again."

Did my father just curse at me?

"I won't." I said, making my way onto the train.

I took one last look at my parents, waving goodbye before heading down the hall of the train. I popped into closed compartments, looking to see which one Belle and Lily took off to.

"Jamey!"

Oh shit.

I turned around to see Blair Chase making her way down the train towards me. Blair was another seventh year in my house who was hopelessly in love with me. When I say hopelessly, I mean hopelessly. The girl sent Belle a cursed bracelet when we first started dating because she was jealous.

"Jamey." Blair said as she got closer. "I'm so sorry to hear about your brother's accident."

"Yes." I mumbled. "It was a tough summer."

"Oh, I bet. Having to live with that awful girl who killed your brother. Oh, I could have never done it."

I opened my mouth to interrupt her but she just kept going.

"I heard you and that girl broke up. Does that mean you're back on the market?"

"Wow, news really does travel fast." I muttered.

"What was that?" Blair asked. "It actually doesn't matter, that girl was so undeserving of you anyways."

"Well, we actually didn't…"

"I would be happy to fill her position." Blair continued. "I'm much prettier than her."

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away. With Blair's mouth running, I wouldn't be able to even fit five words in.

"Jamey, where are you going?" She asked.

"To find my undeserving girlfriend." I replied.

After sitting through six sortings ceremonies, the seventh one was no better. I entertained myself by tormenting Belle. We seemed to push the events from the night before out of our minds, pretending as if it never happened. I pushed all the negative thoughts about Belle out of my mind, trying to only think of the times we had before the accident. Some of my favorite memories of those times were not PG thirteen.

I ran my right hand up her thigh, inching closer and closer to the hem of her skirt. Every time I got close, she would swat my hand away. Every time she would swat my hand away, I would try harder.

"Arrête ça" Belle hissed.

"Vous ne pouvez pas dire que vous n'avez pas manqué ça." I whispered.

"Not in public." Belle hissed in English.

"Tonight then." I whispered in her ear. "Dans mon lit"

Belle just smiled at she looked down at the table. It was beautiful. It was the first genuine smile I've seen in a long time.

When dinner started, Belle and I snuck away from the meal. I couldn't help myself. I'm sure Al already has a handful of dirty names for me and a lecture about how I couldn't control my hormones. I didn't care. It's been over a month since I've actually been close to Belle.

We went up to the Room of Requirements. As soon as the door appeared, we barged in. Belle's lips were pressed firmly to mine, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I held her close to me, tangling my hands in her long brown locks.

I pushed her gently down on the bed, climbing up and holding myself over her. She reached up and pulled my face down to hers, snogging the daylight out of me.

"I love you so much, Isabelle Lynn Stein." I whispered, my breath heavy from our snog session.

"I love you too, James Sirius Potter." She whispered back.

 _Author's Note- We finally made it to school! Only took eleven chapters to do it. Plus, James is done being a little shit. Or is he? In my opinion, I think I did a good job at setting up for the next crisis. We can't just let Belle and James live happily ever after. I'd love to know if you can figure out the direction I'm going with this story._

 _Translations_

Arrête ça – Stop it

"Vous ne pouvez pas dire que vous n'avez pas manqué ça." – You can't say you didn't miss this.

Dans mon lit – In my bed

 _I hope you guys liked the update._

 _XOXO_


	12. Chapter 12

People talked.

People talked a lot.

I knew once we were at school, trying to escape my past wasn't going to be a possibility. I knew people would still be talking about Al's death. I can't say that I blame them. Al was…well, Al. He was very well known and liked among his peers. I just had to do my best to tune them out. I've heard what some people have said about me. They blamed me for what happened to Al. They didn't know the whole story though. They didn't know about how his family or I suffered through the event.

"I heard you and James made up."

I looked up from the book I was reading to see Dom flopping down on the couch next to me.

"Yeah, did you know about this?" I asked, holding my left hand up.

"Is that an engagement ring?" Dom gasped.

"Promise ring." I replied. "He gave it to me after apologizing for everything that happened on my birthday."

"So you think he has finally moved on from the accident?" Dom asked.

"I think so." I answered. "He's acting like he used to before the accident. I'm hoping we are just moving forward for now on."

It's been a week since school started. So far, James was true to his word. He worked hard to try and fix what was broken. I worked hard on my end so that things would work. We were slowly making our way back to what we used to be.

" _Happy Birthday Al!"_

 _James and I jumped on Al's bed, waking him up. Well.. and his roommates but we weren't concerned about them. They'll probably hate us because it's seven am on a Saturday but they'll be fine._

 _It was nice that Al's sixteenth birthday fell on a Saturday. Al missed the cut off so he was one of the oldest kids in his year. It would've sucked if he had to attend classes too._

" _Ugh, get off me." Al moaned, attempting to roll over in his bed. "How did you even get in here?"_

" _We bullied a first year into giving us the password." I said cheerfully. "Come on, get up. We got presents."_

" _Presents?" Al mumbled, slowing moving himself up into a sitting position._

" _Be quiet over there." Scorpius Malfoy groaned from his bed._

" _Oi, sod off Scorp or you can't have any of my sweets." Al said._

 _I could hear Scorpius rolling over in bed._

" _Mine first!"_

 _I shoved my two boxes into Al's lap and watched as he tore them open. The first box was just a random assortment of sweets from Honeydukes. The second box was some Quidditch gear and a new book._

" _Thanks Belle." He said, leaning over to give me a hug._

" _I didn't find anything good to give you that Belle already didn't so here you go." James said, tossing a bag of gold to his brother._

" _Thanks mate." Al laughed, setting his presents on the bedside table. "Now get the hell out of my dorm."_

 _I laughed and jumped down off the bed, dragging James along with me._

I sat in my bed, my legs pulled up to my chest. Today was the day. The twenty ninth of September. It signaled the start of the fourth week of school. It was also Al's seventeenth birthday. I mentally braced myself for the events of the day. James and I, we've been getting along splendidly ever since my birthday disaster. I knew Al's birthday was going to send him back into a dark hole, if only temporarily. I knew that I just need to brace myself and remember not to take much to heart today.

I leapt out of my bed, abandoning my thoughts as a wave a nausea rolled over me. I ran into the bathroom, kneeling next to the toilet. Anything that was left from last night's dinner escaped my stomach and into the toilet. I passed the recent incident off as nerves for the upcoming events of today.

I washed my hands and cleaned myself up. Setting the hand towel back on the counter, I made my way down to the common room. James and Lily stood down there with their Gryffindor cousins. The cousins who weren't Gryffindor, and Scorpius Malfoy, would be meeting us up in McGonagall's office. I walked over to James, slipping my hand in his.

"Hey." I whispered.

"Hey." He replied.

I gave his hand a tight squeeze as we turned to follow Lily out of the common room.

To get to Godric Hollow, we flooed to Hogsmeade and then apparated from there. Those who weren't old enough, or in my case haven't taken the test, went side along with an older member. I held onto James's arm as the tugging sensation went through my body.

We landed at the bottom of the hillside. I gripped James's arm tight, trying to keep my balance. My stomach, however, did not agree with the concept of apparition. I ran over to the nearest bush I could find, emptying the contents of my stomach…again.

"You all right?" James asked.

I nodded, wiping my mouth with the back on my hand. We made our way up the hill as the others slowly started to arrive. James walked over to Al's grave, taking a seat on the ground in front of the headstone. I kept my distance, giving the two some space.

"Hey man." James started. "Happy birthday. You're officially an adult."

I watched James's body language. He paused, looking down at the ground before looking back at Al's headstone.

"Belle and I are doing well. We went through a rough patch but I think we're getting better. I know how much you loved her and I'm sure you were pissed I almost let her go. Anyways, I really miss you mate. I hope you're having a great birthday up there with Grandad and Nana Potter. I bet they're amazing. I'll be back to see you soon. I love you."

James leaned forward and kissed the top of the headstone. I watched as he brushed away his tears as he got up. He made his way over to me. I held my arms out, letting him come to me. He nuzzled his face in my hair. I could feel his tears. I held him tighter.

"What you said was beautiful." I said. "I'm going to go over and say hi."

James unwrapped himself from me. I walked over to the grave, taking a seat where James just was.

"Hey." I whispered. "Here I am again. Happy birthday Al. I wish I had a way to give you an amazing present like you gave me."

I paused for a moment in my monologue, trying to keep myself together.

"I hope you're having a great time up there. We all miss you down here. James and I will be back to visit you soon. I'll save my long speech for then since Lils and all of your cousins want to say hi too. I miss you Al."

I pushed myself off the ground. Lily went over and took my empty spot. I walked back over to James. He was standing off to the side, watching his cousins and Al's friends came to say their hellos and birthday wishes. I didn't say anything. I just stood by his side until he was ready to go.

"Let's go." James whispered.

He took my hand and we walked down the hill. Once on the outskirts, I grabbed his arm firmly and he gave his wand a flick. The tugging sensation went through my body again and we landed in Hogsmeade. Landed was a loose term in this situation. My stomach, on the other hand, decided it did not like apparition again. I darted to the nearest set of bushes, throwing up behind them. What was going on. I've been going side along with apparition for eleven years and never has it made me this sick before.

"That's the second time you've thrown up while apparating." James stated. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. "Let's just get back to the castle. I'm sure everything will get cleared up once I have a nap."

James nodded and we walked over to the Three Broomsticks. We both grabbed a handful of floo powder, sending ourselves back to McGonagall's office. I tumbled out of the fire pit in a very ungraceful manner. James was waiting for me, helping me up off the ground.

"Thank you." I said to McGonagall.

She nodded, giving us a small and sad smile. I took James's hand and we walked out of the office. We made our way up to Gryffindor Tower and up the boys staircase. Once in James's dorm, I discarded my uncomfortable clothing and grabbed a pair of James's comfy sweatpants and tee shirt. I crawled into the bed, James snuggling up next to me. With his arms wrapped around me, I was able to slip off into a peaceful sleep.

" _Belle."_

 _I looked up from the Teen Witch magazine I was reading to see my best friend standing at the foot of my bed. She looked nervous as hell._

" _Something wrong Dom?" I asked._

" _Um… just a little." She replied._

 _I raised my eyebrow, waiting for her to unleash her problems onto me. She just stared at me._

" _Dom." I said. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"_

" _I, um…yeah." She said nervously, wringing her hands. "Belle, I'm pregnant."_

" _I'm sorry, what?" I asked, hoping that I heard her wrong._

" _I'm pregnant." Dom repeated._

 _Nope, I heard her right._

" _Fuck. Shit Dom, what are you going to do?" I asked._

 _She quickly moved from the foot of my bed and sat down in the bottom corner._

" _I don't know, I don't want a kid." She cried. "I…I might have a way out though."_

" _Which is?" I asked._

" _Teddy and Vic have been trying to have a kid for like two years now." Dom started. "If Vic agrees, I could hide my pregnancy and just let her raise the baby."_

" _Wouldn't people question why she didn't have a baby bump?" I asked._

" _That's the great thing about magic." She replied. "We could fake one."_

I awoke from my nap. I thought about Dom/Vic's baby. She was a beautiful little girl who just turned one in July. Dom managed to keep the whole thing a secret, only letting her parents, siblings, and Teddy in. Luckily, the baby was born with the signature Declacour silver hair so nobody questioned Vic.

Then the events from today smacked me in the face.

A baby.

 _Author's Note- So I'm sure you've all caught on to my next twist by now. What do you think? I hope you guys enjoyed this update._

 _XOXO_


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning: Sensitive and Mature topics in this chapter**

I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. James had his head nuzzled in my shoulder, his arms wrapped around me. I slowly wiggled around, trying my best not to wake James up as I climbed out of the bed.

"Belle?"

I clearly failed.

"Where are you going?" James mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"I just need to go talk to Dom." I said, picking up my discarded clothes off the floor. "Go back to sleep. I'll see you at dinner."

"Okay." James muttered.

He rolled over and pulled the sheets back up. Quietly, I opened the door and crept out into the boys' staircase. I moved quickly across the common room and up the girls' staircase. I barged into my dorm, tossing my dirty clothes in my laundry hamper. I looked over at Dom's bed. She laid there peacefully, her silvery hair fanned out gracefully around her. I almost felt bad from waking her up from her nap.

"Dom!" I hissed, shaking her shoulder some. "Dom, wake up."

"Hmm?" She mumbled.

The door flew open and in walked our roommates, Alexa Nomway and Riley Johnson. I never had a problem with the two girls. This just wasn't a conversation for them to hear.

"I think I might be pregnant." I said in French.

"What!" Dom hissed, sitting straight up in her bed. "Merlin Belle, what the fuck."

"I'm not one hundred percent sure though." I said, looking over at Alexa and Riley.

The two girls seemed completely oblivious to the conversation we were having. That was a benefit about being able to speak another language fluently. If you didn't want people to hear your conversation, simply just switch to French.

"You need to take a test then." Dom said.

"I'm not going down to the Hospital Wing."

"You don't have to." Dom replied. "We can sneak out to Hogsmeade and apparate to London. I think Lily has the map."

"Let's go." I said, switching back to English.

Lily did indeed have the map. She tried to get us to tell her where we were going but we didn't budge. We told her it was a secret and when the time was right, she would get to know. Lily didn't seem happy with the answer but reluctantly gave us the map anyways.

"I want this map back." Lily said. "I mean it Isa. It took me a long time to get this away from James."

"Of course Lils." I said.

We walked out of Lily's dorm, Dom getting the map to work. I walked into the common room. Dom trailed behind me while flipping through the folds of the map.

"Alright, it's early enough so the prefects haven't started patrolling yet. We'll get in and out with no problem." Dom said, folding the map up and shoving it in her back pocket.

She walked towards to exit and I followed nervously behind her.

I really hope I wasn't pregnant.

"That's like the fourth time you've thrown up today." Dom stated as we walked down the streets of London.

"Yeah, I know." I said with an annoyed tone.

I was so sick of throwing up. I didn't even know how there's still anything left in my stomach with the amount of times I've gotten sick today. We went into the first convenience store we saw. Dom lead the way back to the family planning aisle. She grabbed three different types of muggle pregnancy tests and a box of condoms.

"These are for me." She said, holding up the box of condoms. "I am not about to have another kid anytime soon."

"Come on." I laughed, grabbing the tests from her. "Let's just get back to school."

We walked back up to the front of the store. I dumped the tests on the checkout counter, avoiding the cashier's eyes. I was sure she was probably judging me. I handed over my muggle money when she told me the total and waited for Dom to check out. She thanked the cashier and grabbed her bag. As we walked out of the building, we searched for a nearby alley way so we could head back to school. Dom grabbed my arm and dragged me behind the store. With a loud crack, I felt the gut wrenching tug. As I stumbled to catch my balance, Dom was already dragging me into Honeydukes so we could use the hidden entrance to get back to school. Dom had the map in hand, checking for prefects.

"Alright, let's go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. No one is ever there." Dom suggested.

"Yeah, besides Moaning Myrtle." I grumbled.

None the less, I followed Dom down to the bathrooms. I held the bag full of tests close to me, trying to draw as little attention as possible. Once in the safety of the bathrooms, I dumped the tests out of the bag and tore open the boxes. I held the three sticks in my hand.

"Go pee on them and then put the cap on. Then we wait." Dom instructed.

Why did these tests have to be so gross? I walked into the bathroom stall.

"Oooo, what do we have going on here?"

"Go away Myrtle." I snapped.

Trying to pee on a stick was hard enough. I didn't need an obnoxious ghost watching my every move.

"That's not very nice."

"Myrtle, I'm trying to pee." I said, annoyed.

Myrtle glared at me but she went away. I didn't even feel bad for being mean to her. I placed the caps back onto the tests and left the stall. I walked over to the sink and dropped them in there. Anxiously, we waited. The boxes said it would only take a few minutes. I forced myself to wait two minutes before picking the tests up.

 _Pregnant._

 _Pregnant._

 _Pregnant._

All three were positive. Dom leaned over my shoulder, taking a peak at the tests.

"Hmm, looks like I'm getting a new cousin."

"Dom!" I cried out. "What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not ready for a kid."

"Maybe we can convince Vic to pretend to be pregnant again." Dom joked.

"Dom, I'm serious!"

"Alright, alright." She said. "I think the first thing you should do is tell James. After you tell him, you can figure out what to do."

"Alright." I sighed.

I grabbed some paper towels and wrapped the tests up in them. Dom pulled the map back out, checking to see were James was. Of course, the lazy bum was still up in his dorm room.

"Wish me luck."

James's dorm was exactly how it was when I left. James was the only one in the room, sleeping peacefully in his bed. I carefully climbed up in the bed. I shook him gently, trying to get him to wake back up.

"James." I whispered in his ear. "Wake up. I have something I need to tell you."

"Hmm?" James mumbled, shifting slightly in his bed. "Belle?"

"The one and only." I replied. "Roll over. I have something I want to show you."

James shifted in his bed. He laid on his side, propping his head up with his arm. I unrolled the pregnancy tests from the paper towel. James took it, examined it, and then handed it back to me.

"Do you know what that is?" I asked.

"Not really." James replied.

"It's a pregnancy test." I explained. "Congrats, you're going to be a daddy."

"What?"

I looked down at my boyfriend. He had his signature smile forming widely on his face.

"You're pregnant?"

"It would seem so." I replied, holding up the three tests.

"Belle!"

He rolled over, grabbing me with him. He squeezed me tightly and planted a big slopping kiss on my lips. When I was released, I nuzzled my head into his chest. He had one arm wrapped around me.

"Holy shit, I'm going to be a dad."

 _Author's Note- A bit of a filler chapter. The next major event is coming up soon, I promise. So what do you all think about James and Belle? Leave your comments in a review because I love them so much._

 _And thank you guys for reading. Shoutout to quill2parchment for reviewing on almost every chapter. It makes me so happy._

 _XOXO_


	14. Chapter 14

Watching someone sleep was such a peaceful experience. To some people, it could be seen as creepy. But watching someone you love sleep so peacefully is such a relaxing moment. They look so perfect. They're vulnerable, they aren't hiding behind some mask that they wear during the day. When someone is sleep, they're themselves.

Belle was beautiful when she was asleep. Her hair fell gracefully around her and she looked angelic. I love when she would come and spend the night with me. Her presence would help me at night. After Al's death, I would constantly have nightmares. I still do but having Belle back in my life helps them occur less.

I brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, admiring her beauty. This girl was my pride and joy. She turned me into the person she knew was in me. The girl I almost lost but got a second chance from. The girl who is now carrying my child.

 _I'm going to be a dad._ I thought.

Holy shit.

There's a human being inside my girlfriend. There's a new Potter growing. There's a half me inside her. Holy hell.

I looked back down at my girlfriend. I snuggled up to her and gently kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight babe. I love you." I whispered.

Watching Belle slowly change over time was fascinating. Her belly started to grow out. I went to every doctor's appointment with her. It was fascinating being able to hear the heartbeat and see our little baby. I was there to hold her hair every time she would get sick. Time at school flew by. Before I knew it, winter holiday had crept upon us. I was helping Belle pack her stuff up.

"You know, we have to tell your parents now." She said.

"I know." I replied, placing the shirts she just folded into her trunk.

"They're going to hate me."

"No way, they'll be ecstatic to have a grandchild." I said.

"I hope so." Belle whispered. "Did you know we get to find the sex out shortly before Christmas."

"And I can't wait." I said. "James Potter the third is going to be a troublemaker like his daddy."

"What makes you think it's a boy?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Potters always pop out boys first." I responded. "It's a known fact."

She laughed and I leaned over and kissed her forehead. I couldn't wait for this baby to get here.

As midterm exams wrapped up, it was time to head back home. Lily and our cousins all loaded up on the train for the trip to Kings Cross. We all crammed into a compartment. Dom pulled out her wand and expanded the compartment so everyone could fit comfortably.

"So, are you guys going to tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry?" Rose asked me as she propped herself up against her boyfriend.

"Today." Belle replied, looking up at me. "We're doing it as soon as we get home."

"Oh, I can't wait for you to tell everyone. It's getting so hard to keep it a secret. I'm so excited!" Rose gushed.

Belle laughed. We slowly told my cousins, one by one. They were all thrilled to have a new addition to our large and possibly insane family. We made them promise to keep it a secret from their parents until we had the chance to tell them.

I knew on the outside, Belle was playing it cool. She was freaking out on the inside though. She was always one to stress out and think my parents would hate her. Every time, she was wrong. Belle was convinced that this would be the last straw for her.

"I hope it's a girl." Lily said. "Just because James has this delusion that Potters always have boys first."

"Hey! All the facts are in favor of my statement." I argued.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'll love him or her either way." Belle said, placing her hands on her little baby bump. "I already do."

There was a collective sound of awws that rippled across the compartment. Everyone settled back down and found something to do for the rest of the ride. Hugo and Lily played exploding snaps. Rose snuggle up next to Scorpius with a book. Dom and Belle were chattering away in French. Fred and Roxanne were arguing about something stupid. The others kept themselves content with small talk among themselves.

When the train arrived at Kings Cross, Belle was a nervous wreck. Hugo tried to joke with her, telling her that my parents were too well known to hex her in public. That only made her nerves worse. As we got off the train, we dispersed to our respective parents.

"James. Lily. Belle." Mum called out.

I lugged our stuff over to my parents. Mum pulled Lily and Belle into a motherly bear hug. When she released them, Belle and Lils stepped back and smiled at her.

"Belle, you look wonderful. Is there something different about you?" Mum asked.

Belle's eyes flickered over to mine. Yeah Mum, there's a baby inside her. Instead, Belle plastered a smile on her face and looked back at Mum.

"Nope, I'm still the same old Belle." She said.

"Okay…" Mum said slowly, picking Lily's trunk off the ground. "Let's head home then."

Lily took Mum's hand and Mum pulled out her wand.

Crap. We totally forgot that we apparate home from the station. Since Belle is pregnant, she can't apparate anymore. It makes her sick and her doctor said it wasn't good for the baby. Belle looked terrified as my parents stared at us with questioning looks.

"Umm…" I stuttered. "Belle can't apparate."

"Yes, I know. She'll go side along with you." Mum said.

"We can't do that." I replied.

"James, I can't see why she….oh." Mum trailed off, looking over at Belle. "You're pregnant?"

Belle looked down at the ground. She gave a slight nod, avoiding my mother's gaze.

"Belle, sweetie, that's amazing!" Mum said, dropping Lily's trunk.

She grabbed Belle in another bear hug.

"Of course, I wish you two were a little older before having a child. There's no changing it now though."

Belle's mood instantly lightened. I could tell she was glad to have that off her chest.

"Come on, let's get you guys home."

As the holiday began, Belle and I slowly told my aunts and uncles about the pregnancy. Everyone was so happy and supportive. Belle began to feel less nervous. In fact, she was excited. Today was Belle's doctor's appointment. We were heading up to St. Mungos. I was thrilled for this appointment. Belle was far enough along that we would be able to determine the sex of the baby.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Belle gushed as we walked down the halls out the hospital. "I can't wait to see our baby again."

"Me too." I said.

I opened the main doors of the maternity ward. Belle walked up to the front desk and checked herself in. She came over and joined me in the waiting area. I looked at the people around us. Some of the women were older and their husbands sat beside them. Some of the women were closer to my age and some nervous boyfriends or fiancés waited with them. Some women were alone. Some women had small bumps like Belle's while others were clearly towards the end of their pregnancies.

"Isabelle Stein?"

Belle rose from her seat and I followed. We followed the nurse down the hall and into a rom. Belle sat up on the table. The nurse waved her wand over Belle, taking her vitals down.

"Everything seems to be in check." The nurse said. "Healer Signh will be in in a moment."

"Thank you." Belle said.

The nurse shut the door behind her. I snatched at pamphlets off the wall, being the annoying git I am.

"Did you know our baby is the size of a turnip?" I asked. "And that he will eventually be the size of a watermelon? That's going to be painful."

"Thanks for reminding me James." Belle responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome darling." I said.

A knock at the door distracted us. In walked Healer Signh.

"Good morning Belle." He said. "And same to you James."

"Good morning." I said.

Healer Signh then turned his whole attention to Belle.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked.

"Pregnant." Belle responded.

"Yes." He chuckled. "How's your morning sickness been?"

"Almost nonexistent since I've stopped appariting." Belle answered.

"Perfect. Now, are you ready to see your baby?"

"Are we able to find out the sex today?" I asked.

"Yes. Once I check and make sure everything is okay, we can see what you're having." Healer Signh said.

Belle raised her shirt up and Healer Signh squeezed the blue gel all over. He then placed the tip of his wand in the gel. The image popped up on the screen and we were able to see the inside of Belle's uterus.

"There we go."

He moved his wand around. The sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. It was truly a magical experience.

"Everything looks good." Healer Signh said. "Heartbeat is strong. Now, let's see what you are."

I watched nervously as Healer Signh moved his wand around. Excitement ran through my body as he tried to find the baby's sex organs.

"There it is. Right there." Healer Sign said as he pointed to the screen. "Congratulations, you're having a baby girl."

Before heading home, we stopped at the hospital giftshop. Belle picked out a little pink teddy bear that had baby girl stitched on its feet. We kept it hidden in Belle's purse as we flooed back home.

"You're back!" Lily squealed as we stumbled out of the fireplace. "Oh, how did it go? Am I having a niece or nephew?"

"Calm down Lils." I laughed. "We're going to get everyone together at The Burrow tonight and then we'll tell."

"Damn, I need to know." Lily pouted.

"Literally, in a few hours you will."

Nana Molly was so excited to have everyone at The Burrow. She lived to cook and force feed her family. We all gathered in the living room, Belle and I at the front. Belle held the hospital gift bag close to her. Her face was beaming, she was so excited to be telling everyone.

"You guys ready to know?" I asked.

"Quit stalling." Rose called out. "Just tell us."

Belle dug in the bag and slowly pulled out the teddy bear. She held it up for everyone to see.

"It's a girl!"

"Yes!" Lily yelled, punching her fist up in the air. "I knew it!"

Belle and I slept peacefully the next day. We were so worn out from the night before. I felt Belle shift in the bed, snuggling up to me. I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning love." I whispered.

"Mmm, good morning." She mumbled, her eyes still closed. "James?"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Can we go see Al today? I want to tell him he's going to have a niece." She said.

"Of course. Why don't you start getting dressed and I'll go ask Dad to use the car?" I suggested.

"Okay."

I slid out of the bed and headed down to the kitchen. Dad sat at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee as he read the Daily Prophet.

"Morning kiddo." He said.

"Morning Dad." I replied. "Hey, would you care if I used the car today? Belle and I were planning on going to go visit Al."

"That should be fine. Just be sure to tell your mother. The keys are by the door." Dad said.

"Thanks."

I headed back upstairs to my room. Belle sat on my bed, dressed and ready to go. She held her winter jacket in her arms. I quickly changed into weather appropriate clothing. We made our way downstairs, making a stop at my parents' room to tell Mum where we were going. I grabbed the car keys off the hook on the way out. I started the car, blasting the heat. Belle buckled up in her seat.

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded and we took off.

The drive to Godrics Hollow was sort of a long one. It took about forty-five minutes by car. Belle was having fun though. I enjoyed listening to her sing off key and dance around in her seat.

That's when it happened.

I felt the car start to slide and I knew that instant I hit a patch of black ice. I tried to correct the car but I couldn't.

"James!"

Belle's scream echoed in my ears as we slide across the road into oncoming traffic. The impact was loud and hard. I felt my body jerk forward. I looked over to Belle. She was slouched over, her head against the dash board. I could see the blood coming from her head when she hit the dash board.

"Shit." I yelled. "Shit. Belle!"

I reached for my phone and called nine-nine-nine.

"What's your emergency?"

"My name is James Potter. I'm on Louie B. Ave. There was a car accident."

"I'm dispatching the authorities to your location. Do you need an ambulance?" The operator asked.

"Yes, my girlfriend is unconscious. She's four months pregnant."

"I sent out an ambulance." She said. "Try not to move your girlfriend until they get there unless you absolutely have to."

"Okay." I said.

I could hear the sirens already. I knew we weren't far from Godrics Hollow and it wouldn't take long for the police to arrive.

"I hear them." I told the operator. "I'm going to disconnect now."

I hung up the phone and dial my father's number. He quickly answered.

"James?"

"Dad, there's been a car accident." I blurted out, trying to keep my panic down. "It's Belle. She's unconscious."

"I'll be there." Dad said.

I went back over to the accident. The ambulance rolled up and I pointed them over to Belle. I told them she was four months pregnant and watched as they got her out of the car and loaded up into the ambulance. The police came over and asked me a few questions. I told him exactly what happened, not taking my eyes off the ambulance. The police officer released me once my dad showed up. He told us where they were taking Belle. I jumped into the passenger seat of my father's car. We followed the ambulance to the hospital. I ran into the emergency room, watching where they took Belle. I stood against the wall, watching through the window of the trauma room as they assessed her. By the looks of it, it didn't look good.

Self-hate flew through my body.

I watched and I watched, glancing down at my watch every once in a while.

Ten minutes.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

Finally, someone came out of the room. I jumped out of my seat. So did Dad, Mum and Lily. The doctor came up to us.

"Are you the family of Isabelle Stein?" He asked.

"I'm her boyfriend." I responded. "My parents are in charge of her while her parents are touring the world."

"Okay." The doctor started. "Isabelle will be fine. She has a concussion and a cut from when she hit the dash board but other than that she's okay."

"What about that baby?" I asked.

"I'm assuming you're the baby's father." The doctor said.

I did not like his tone of voice. The last time I heard someone use that tone was then the doctors told us Al had died in the accident.

"I'm so sorry. The accident caused trauma to Isabelle's body and sent the baby into stress. We tried everything could."

Our baby was gone.

And it was my fault.

 _Author's Note- This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too jumpy. I thought about breaking it up into two but decided just to keep going. I hoped you all liked this chapter and having another James POV. Tell me what you think in a review._

 _XOXO_


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning: Sensitive and Mature content**

" _James?" I called out._

 _I looked around at my surroundings. I could tell that I was in a muggle hospital room. No one was around though. Not in my room, not in the halls, not at the nurses' station either. I was alone for some reason. I ripped the muggle equipment off me and walked over to the door. I peeked out, looking for anyone. Not a single soul in sight. I started to make my way down the hospital hall._

" _Hey Belle."_

 _I spun around, finding myself coming face to face with Albus Potter._

 _Al?_

" _Oh Merlin, I'm dead, aren't I?" I asked._

 _I had to be dead. How else could I be speaking to a dead man. I died and Al was sent to collect my soul._

" _You aren't dead." Al said. "You're unconscious in the hospital. You're like half dead."_

" _Then why are you here?" I asked confused._

" _To help you decide."_

" _Decide? Decide what?" I asked in a panic. "What the hell is going on."_

" _Do you remember what happened Belle?" Al asked._

 _I shook my head._

" _No, I just remember James and I were on our way to visit you."_

" _James hit a patch of black ice on the way." Al explained. "You guys slid across the road into oncoming traffic. You got most of the impact."_

" _I don't understand how I have a decision though."_

" _Do you want to go back to the living or do you want to cross to the other side?" Al asked._

" _I have a choice?" I was confused._

 _Al nodded his head._

" _Did you have a choice?" I asked._

" _Yes." Al answered simply._

" _Why did you choose death then?"_

" _Because if I chose life I would've been in a world of misery." Al said. "I know I destroyed you guys emotionally, but I had to."_

" _Will I be in a world of misery if I chose life?" I asked._

" _Yes." Al answered._

 _I thought about how heartbroken James would be if he lost me so shortly after his brother. How devastated he would be about losing our baby too if I died. I wasn't ready to leave. Whatever misery that may come to me, I knew I was strong enough to withstand it._

" _I want to go back." I decided._

" _Are you sure?" Al asked._

 _I nodded._

" _Okay then." Al said with a nod. "Until next time Belle."_

" _Wait!" I cried out, grabbing at him._

 _I pulled Al into a bear hug and squeezed him for as long as I could._

" _I miss you Al."_

" _I miss you too Belle."_

My eyes flew open. I checked my surroundings. It was the room I was just in not that long ago. Except this room had sounds and people moving around me. I looked over to my right. I watched the nurse check my vitals and scribble them down in her notes. I looked over to my left. James sat slouched over in the chair next to my bed.

"James." I croaked.

I saw him open his eyes and look at me. His eyes met mine and he broke out into a large smile.

"Belle, thank Merlin, you're awake." He said.

The nurse from my right stopped what she was doing and leaned over the bed to check me. She shined her little pocket light in my eyes and some other little tests.

"She seems okay." The nurse said. "I'll go grab the doctor to come check on her."

I watched as she left the room. I shifted my attention back over to James. He looked so thrilled to see that I was okay. Yet, I could tell that there was something off with him. That he was hiding something under all that happiness.

"James, what happened?" I asked.

His smile fell from his face. He reached forward and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Belle, I'm so sorry." He said. "I lost control of the car when I slid on some ice."

"But I'm okay, right?" I asked. "I can walk and shit?"

"Yeah, the doctor said you have a concussion and just a cut from when your head hit the dash board."

"And the baby?" I asked.

James looked down at the bed. He avoided my gaze.

"James, what about that baby?" I demanded.

"Belle…"

"Just tell me!" I cried. "Just tell me."

"You received most of the impact from the crash." James said.

I felt horrible. He looked like he wanted to cry.

"Your body took in most of the shock. It caused the baby to become distressed."

"But is she okay?" I asked.

"Belle, it was too much for her. She didn't make it."

No. No, that couldn't be true. She's supposed to be safe. I'm supposed to protect her.

"Get out." I growled.

"Belle…"

"Get out!" I screamed.

I flew my hand over to the side of my bed, hitting the call nurse button repeatedly. James looked at me before rising out of his seat. He took one more look at me before walking out of the door. I rolled over to my side, curling up into a ball. She was gone.

I heard the door open again and I quickly rolled over to see who it was. The nurse who was in here earlier entered, with the doctor behind her.

"How are you feeling Isabelle?" The doctor asked.

"Horrible." I replied.

"Understandable." The doctor mused. "You've suffered a lot."

"Did I really lose my baby?" I asked.

"I'm sorry Isabelle, but yes." The doctor said.

I looked down at my bed sheets. I was hoping for a different answer. I was hoping James was wrong.

"Isabelle." The doctor started. "Here's what's going to happen over the next couple of hours. We're going to give you some medicine to start labor. You will then give birth to your baby."

"You want me to give birth to my dead child" I asked, mortified. "I can't. I can't."

"You can." The doctor said. "I can see you're a strong young woman. You can do this."

The doctor was right. I could. I gave birth to my baby girl. My stillborn baby girl. I was devastated. I cried my heart out. I even let James back in the room. I may have been upset with him but she was his daughter too. The nurse wrapped her up in a tiny little blanket. She handed her to me. Our baby girl was no bigger than the size of my hand. She was so little and fragile. She didn't belong out here in the world.

I passed our baby girl over to James. I watched his body language as he held her close to him. I could see the tears running down his face. He then handed out daughter back to the nurse. Another nurse came in with a folder. She sat the folder down on my bedside table.

"This is just some paperwork." She explained. "You don't need to do it now. Just whenever you're ready."

I reached for the folder. James handed it to me and I opened it up. Inside was traditional paper work, a birth certificate, and a death certificate. I slowly pulled them out and grabbed the pen. I signed my name at the bottom of each paper. I slid the papers over to James for him to sign.

"What should we name her?" James asked.

I sat back in my bed. I wasn't sure what to name her. We thought we had so much time left to figure out a name. We only just found out the sex not that long ago.

"Nevaeh." I said. "Its heaven spelled backwards. Nevaeh Grace Potter."

"You want to put Potter?" James asked.

"Of course, why would I?" I asked.

James shrugged his shoulders.

"You seem to blame me for the accident."

"I'm grieving." I responded. "I just lost my baby."

James wrote down Nevaeh's name on the papers. He didn't ask any more questions. I watched as he took the stack of papers and placed them back into the folder. There was a knock on the door and the doctor entered again.

"Isabelle, we're going to keep you here overnight for some observations. If everything looks okay, we'll be good to release you in the morning."

I nodded.

"The nurse will be in to give you some medicine to help you sleep." The doctor said.

James got up out of his chair.

"I'll let you get some rest." He said.

He planted a gentle kiss on my forehead before leaving the room. The nurse came in shortly after and gave me my sleeping aid. I took it and curled up under the sheets.

" _I told you you would be in a world of misery."_

" _Al?" I questioned._

 _I rolled over in my bed. There was Al, sitting in the seat that James was just in not that long ago._

" _I don't understand. I'm not dead. How are you here then?"_

" _You're dreaming." Al explained._

" _Oh." I whispered. "Did you know my baby was dead when you were talking to me earlier?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Why didn't you tell me?" I asked._

" _I couldn't sway your decision. You had to decide if you wanted to go back or not. How death works is a tricky concept. Your injuries could've killed you but they weren't severe enough. This is when Death gives you the option."_

" _Have you seen her?" I asked._

" _Your daughter? Yes, I have." Al said. "Death has given her the form of her toddler years. She looks just like you Belle."_

" _You'll watch over her for me, won't you?" I asked, crying. "Take care of her until I can be with her again?"_

" _Of course, Belle. Nevaeh and I will always be watching over you and James."_

Always.

 _Author's Note- Alright guys, what do you think? I'm sorry for this chapter being shorter than my last. I just felt like this was a good stopping point. I feel like a terrible person for ripping the baby away from Belle. Leave a review with your thoughts._

 _XOXO_


	16. Chapter 16

The thing about muggle hospitals is that they're drab places. The atmosphere is a cold and depressing one. All you want to do is go back home to your own bed. However, I wasn't back in my own bed. I was back at the Potters. James placed my stuff at the foot of my bed. I pulled back the covers and crawled under. I stared at the picture frame on my nightstand.

It was one of the pictures from my ultrasound a few days ago. I watched Nevaeh move around. A few days ago, she was a healthy and growing baby girl. Now she was gone. I looked past the picture frame at the little pink teddy bear. My heart sank a little.

" _I can't believe I'm going to be a dad." James gushed._

 _It's been about a week since I've told James about my pregnancy. Besides Dom, no one else knew. It was late at night. We were laying on the common room floor in front of the fireplace. While there was no one around at this hour, I just wasn't ready for the news of my pregnancy to be out yet._

" _James." I giggled. "Shhh."_

" _I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm just so excited."_

" _I know you are." I said, snuggling up to him._

 _I was very pleased with how James was reacting to the situation. In all honesty, I was nervous how he would act in light of recent events. We were both working hard to push past all the dark and negative stuff in our lives._

He was so excited to become a dad. I was so excited to be a Mum. I loved my baby with everything I had. I placed my hands on my stomach. It felt like a part of me was missing. There was a part of me missing.

"Belle?"

I turned my head to look over at James. He stood at the foot of my bed with a glass of water and a pill.

"Here's your sleeping aid to take whenever." He said, placing the glass on my bedside table. "You know, tomorrow is Christmas."

I stared up at the ceiling. He was right. Tomorrow was Christmas. In light of recent events, I totally forgot about the holiday.

"We're supposed to go to The Burrow." James continued. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. We can stay home."

I blinked and tore my gaze away from the ceiling. I looked over at James.

"No, we'll go." I said. "I'll feel better in the morning."

James looked at me but he didn't say anything. We both knew that I was not okay but neither of us were going to say it aloud. James placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you." He whispered.

I pulled the covers up closer.

" _Mummy, where do babies come from?" I asked my mother in the middle of the supermarket._

 _My mother placed the carton of milk in our trolley and looked at me. I sat in the basket, smiling up at her._

" _The storks sweetie." Mum replied._

" _Why did the storks only bring you one baby Mummy?" I asked._

 _Mum paused, looking down at the groceries in the trolley. She then looked back up at me._

" _Because they decided you were all that I needed."_

A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at the door. I debated for a moment on if I should let them in or pretend to be asleep.

"Come in." I called out.

I instantly regretted those words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I watched the door open and the person walked into the room.

"Hello darling."

"Mother?"

I was in a shock. I haven't seen my mother in almost half a year. She missed my birthday, holidays, Al accident, and my announcement of my pregnancy but here she was now.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Is Papa here?"

"Your father is downstairs with Mr. Potter." Mum said. "Mr. Potter and his wife contacted us to let us know you were in the hospital."

"I was in a car accident." I stated.

"Yes, I've been told. I've also been told you became a mother yourself." Mum questioned.

"Not anymore." I mumbled. "She died. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know where you guys were."

"Can I sit?" Mum asked.

I pointed to the foot of the bed. Mum took a seat. She looked awkward and stiff. It felt weird seeing my mother. I've been living with the Potters for so long that it felt like they were my family more than my own.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Fine." I muttered, picking at a loose sheet thread. "I'm fine."

"Mhmm." My mother hummed. "Isabelle darling, do you remember when you asked me where babies came from?"

"Yes, you told me they came from storks." I answered.

"And do you remember how you asked why the storks didn't bring me any more babies?" She asked.

I nodded.

"You said they decided that I was all you needed."

"The truth is, when you were around six years old, I got pregnant again. Your father and I were so thrilled to give you a brother or sister. We wanted to wait a little bit before we told you. Then one night, I woke up with these horrid cramps in my stomach. They were miserable. We took you next door while your father took me to the hospital. I was informed by my doctor that I was having a miscarriage. No explanation why, just that my body was rejecting the baby. I lost him or her that night." My mother said.

I sat there, soaking all the information in. I never knew my mother was going to have another baby. I never knew she lost said baby.

"Is that why you never tried for another baby?" I asked.

"Yes." Mum explained. "I was devastated. I felt like I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do. I was supposed to protect that baby and I didn't."

I let my mother's words sink in. They hurt like knives because she was right. While most of me screamed to blame James for the death of Nevaeh, part of me blames myself. She should've been safe inside me. I should've protected her. Instead, I sent her into a stress that killed her. I pulled my legs up to my chest, trying hard to keep my tears from spilling over. I failed.

"I was supposed to protect her." I cried. "I got hurt and it ended up hurting her more."

"I know sweetie." My mother whispered, holding out her arms.

Like a small child, I crawled out from under the covers and into my mother's lap. I wrapped my arms around her as I sobbed into her chest.

"I miss her." I cried. "I miss her so much."

"I understand sweetie." Mum cooed, brushing strands of my hair.

" _Mummy."_

" _Yes sweetie?" My mother asked little six-year-old me._

" _Can I have a brother?"_

" _A baby brother?" She asked._

" _Yeah!" I said, all excited. "Can you ask the storks to bring me a brother."_

" _Isabelle darling, that isn't how it works." Mum explained._

" _It isn't?"_

" _No." She said. "The storks decide if they'll bring you a baby or not. You can't ask."_

" _Well why not?" I asked stubbornly._

" _It's just how things work." Mum said._

When I woke up, my mother was gone. I was still laying in the spot where she was, a blanket draped over me. I pushed the covers off and climbed out of bed. I walked out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen. I swung the door open and found my parents sitting there with Harry and Ginny.

"Papa." I whispered, walking over to him, and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Te he echado de menos."

"Yo tambien dulzura." Papa replied.

"Are you guys staying for Christmas?" I asked, switching back into English.

"Sadly no." Mum said. "We're on to our next portion of our trip."

There's still places for them to visit? They've been gone for six months, where else do they need to go? I need my parents here with me.

"Oh." I said. "Well, I hope it's fun."

"You seem to be in great hands here." Papa said, smiling at Harry and Ginny. "You two are wonderful for letting our daughter stay with you."

"Yes, well, Belle has become part of the family." Ginny said. "She's welcomed here any time."

I could tell that smile on her face was fake and forced. I knew how Ginny felt about my parents. She couldn't believe that they had no problem with just leaving me.

"Here." Papa said, handing me a bag of gold. "Feliz Navidad mi amor."

"You too Papa." I whispered.

He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead.

"Joyeux Noël ma cherie." Mum said.

"Bye." I whispered.

I watched them pull out their wands and disappear with a loud crack. I looked at the empty spots were they once stood. Who knew when I would next see my parents again.

"Belle, are you hungry?" Ginny asked. "I can make you something up."

"Um…no, I'm fine." I said. "Thank you. I think I'm just going to take a shower and then go to bed."

I pushed myself away from the table. As I headed over to the kitchen door, James walked in. He locked eye contact with me and we both just stood there for a moment. Part of me wanted to be cold and harsh with him. Another part of me remembered how it felt when he was cold to me. I could see the devastation in his eyes too. A few months ago, he lost his brother. Now, he's lost his daughter too.

"Come with me." I whispered, holding out my hand.

He looked down at my outstretched hand. He kept his arms stiff by his side. His gaze flickered up to my eyes. He glanced back down at my hand before turning around and leaving the kitchen. I stood there in shock, my hand still stretched out. I jerked my arm back down to my side and looked over at Harry and Ginny. They both looked at me but didn't say a word. I turned and left the kitchen. I made my way straight upstairs, not even giving James the curtesy of a knock.

"What the hell James." I snapped, all my anger from the past couple of days boiling up inside me. "What the hell was that about?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Bloody fucking shit you don't. You're ignoring me. Why the hell are you ignoring me?" I yelled.

"I'm not…"

"James, shut the hell up with excuses and answer the bloody question." I snapped.

"Fine, I can't look at you without feeling like shit." James yelled. "Every time I looked at you, I see our baby. The baby that is no longer here because of me."

No. He is not going to act like this.

"No, you don't get to ignore me. I'm miserable. I'm suffering. I don't even know what to do." I yelled, my tears threatening to overflow. "You are supposed to help me through this. We're supposed to grieve together for the loss of our child."

I was full on sobbing. I was furious. Everything was just finally being let out.

"I need you to tell me it's going to be okay damn it." I cried. "I need you to help me through this holiday. I just need you by my side damn it. I fucking need you."

James stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close and I sobbed my heart out into his chest.

"I'm sorry Belle." He whispered into my ear, gently rubbing my back. "I'm sorry."

"Damn it James, grow a pair." I cried into his chest. "I can't do this alone."

"You aren't." James whispered. "I'm done running. I'm right here whenever you need me."

"Okay." I whispered.

"Okay."

 _Author's Note- First off, quote disclaimer. The okay part at the end if from the Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Secondly, what did you think about Belle's parents making a quick appearance? From the moment I started writing this story, I decided I just didn't like Belle's parents._

 _Leave a review, tell me what you think._

 _Lastly,_

 _I'd like to give a huge huge shout out to Putitonpaper. She just read my story and reviewed on every single chapter. Thank you so much darling for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter as well_

 _XOXO_

Translations

Te he exhado de menos- I've missed you.

Yo tambien dulzura – Me too sweetie.

Feliz Navidad mi amor – Merry Christmas my love

Joyeux Noël ma Cherie – Merry Christmas my sweetie


	17. Chapter 17

The holidays were supposed to be happy times. Everyone was cheerful and presents were being exchanged. Pleasant small talk was in the making and stomachs were stuffed full of food. Over time, The Burrow has become one of my favorite places. There were so many people and positive energy there that it was hard to be unhappy. Usually I was happy but today was an exception. I kept mostly to myself, sitting in a corner of the living room.

"Hey." Dom said, taking a seat next to me. "How are you feeling?"

"Numb." I answered.

"I can see that."

We both sat there in silence, watching Victoire's daughter, Kinsley, stumble around the room. Dom watched intently as the one-year-old giggled whenever she fell on her bottom.

"You know," Dom started, not taking her eyes off Kinsley. "I know this doesn't compare to your situation but I always feel like a part of me is missing. Vic lets me see Kinsley whenever I want. It just isn't that same as if she was one hundred percent mine."

"Yeah, I could see that." I whispered.

"De! De!" Kinsley squealed, walking over to Dom.

Kinsley was around seventeen months old and starting to grasp everyone's names. The poor girl had to learn so many. She knew mummy and dada. She called Dom De and Louis Lo. Kinsley gave me the nickname of Bee.

"Hi baby girl!" Dom said cheerfully, pulling Kinsley into her lap. "Are you having fun?"

Kinsley nodded her head excitedly.

"Did Mummy and Daddy get you lots of presents?" She asked.

Kinsley babbled on, some words understandable and some toddler language. Watching Kinsley was so uplifting. She was a little ball of sunshine that could bring light to the darkest corners. James walked over to me while Dom played with her daughter-niece.

"Hey." James said, kissing my cheek. "Dinner's ready."

Dom picked Kinsley up off her lap to carry her into the kitchen. James followed me out and sat down at the table next to me. Molly Weasley add a few final touches to the feast in front of us before she declared we could eat. I scooped small portions of everything, wanting to try a little bit of each. James shoveled food down his throat. I don't even think he was chewing, just inhaling. As everyone made their way through their meals, Victoire stood up. She clapped her hands together to grab everyone's attention.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt." She said, a wide smile on her face. "I just figured it would be a good time to tell the news since the whole family is here."

The Wotter clan looked up at their niece, daughter, or cousin, curious to know what her special news was.

"Teddy has been offered a position as Head Auror in the American Ministry." Vic announced happily. "We'll be moving to America shortly after the New Year."

Dom dropped her fork. The sound of metal clanking against her plate drew attention away from Vic and over to her.

"I'm sorry." Dom mumbled, pushing herself away from the table. "I suddenly lost my appetite."

She left the table. Vic watched her sister leave. I could see that she felt bad about the whole situation. I couldn't blame her though, they were only doing what was best for their family.

"Excuse me." I said, pushing myself away from the table and followed Dom.

I walked up the creak stairs of The Burrow. I knew exactly where she was going to be, hiding out in her father's childhood room. I pushed the door open, cringing at the squeaking noise. There Dom was, curled up in a ball on the bed.

"I can't believe she's taking Kinsley away from me." Dom whispered.

"She's not taking her away from you Dom." I said. "Vic and Teddy are only doing what's best for their family."

"But in America?" Dom cried out. "Teddy is basically Uncle Harry's son. He could be Head Auror here if he wanted to. There's no reason to go to America."

"Maybe Teddy wanted to make something of himself without the Potter and Weasley connection." I suggested.

I took a seat on the bed next to Dom. I reached up and brushed her stray tears away. She sniffled.

"Part of me wishes I never gave Kinsley to Vic. Sometimes I wish I raised her myself. Instead, I gave her to Vic because I wanted to party and still be young."

"You did the right thing." I said. "Look how happy and loved Kinsley is. You did what was best for both of you. You stayed in school. Kinsley got the care and attention she needed from her mother."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Dom muttered.

A knock at the door distracted Dom and I from our conversation. We looked up to see Victoire standing in the doorway with Kinsley. Vic set Kinsley down and she walked over to Dom. Dom pulled Kinsley into her lap, holding her close as Vic took a seat on the other side of Dom.

"I didn't mean to upset you." Vic said. "I know how much you love Kinsley."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dom asked.

"It was kind of last minute. Teddy took it because it's such a great opportunity for him and us." She said.

"You're taking Kinsley away from me." Dom cried.

"Oh Dom, you know you can still see Kinsley whenever you want. Daddy will make sure of that." Vic said, hugging her sister.

I smiled at the two as I stood up.

"You two can finish. I'm going to go join everyone."

I left the room and joined everyone back at the table. I took my spot next to James and began to eat my supper again.

"What was that about?" James asked.

"It's nothing." I said. "Vic is dealing with it. Don't worry."

"Does it have to do with Vic taking Dom's daughter of out the country?" James asked.

I stopped everything I was doing and looked over at him. I set my fork back down on the plate.

"How do you know?" I hissed.

"I've known since she quit the Quidditch team fifth year." James whispered. "Some of us on the team put it together."

"Oh." I said, picking my fork back up. "Well, keep it quiet. Dom didn't want anyone to know."

The rest of the holiday went by smoothly. Everyone was happy and presents were exchanged. By the end of the night, I was helping shove gifts in a bag to floo back to the Potters. James and I said our goodbyes to everyone and headed back home.

The holiday season moved by quickly. Before I knew it, New Year's had come and gone. Dom and I were over at Teddy and Vic's flat, helping them pack of the rest of the stuff for their move. Well…more like we played with Kinsley as they packed everything up. By this time tomorrow, the eldest Weasley grandchild will be unpacking her stuff in America.

"Ooo, I'm going to miss you so much Miss Kinsley Corinna." Dom said, squeezing Kinsley in a tight hug. "You'll miss Aunt De the most, right?"

"Yes!" Kinsley giggled.

She swung her toy wand around. Dom tilted back to avoid being smacked in the face.

"Mummy!" Kinsley squealed when Victoire walked into the room.

"Hi baby girl." Vic said with a smile. "Are you ready to go to your new home?"

"Yeah!" Kinsley giggled.

Dom gave the little girl one last big hug before letting her walk over to her sister. Vic picked Kinsley up and looked over at Dom.

"Daddy should have everything set up in about a week." She said. "You should be able to bypass all international customs."

Dom nodded as we walked over to the fireplace. We both grabbed a handful of floo powder and took one last look around the barren flat. Vic and Kinsley waved goodbye as we took off.

We stumbled out of the fireplace at the Potters Manor. Luckily no one was there. Ginny had gone out with Lily to go shopping and James went to the Ministry with Harry. Dom and I headed up to my room, flopping down on my bed. Dom looked over at my beside table, glancing at my ultrasound picture and the baby girl teddy bear.

"How are you coping?" She asked.

"I'm doing okay." I said, glancing down at my bedsheets. "I've been safe here, keeping myself busy. I've been avoiding reading the Daily Prophet. Who knows what they've been saying about me."

"Probably for the best." Dom said, propping herself up on my bed. "They're always spitting out lies. Remember when I was in the hospital with Kinsley and they wrote about how I was dying from Dragon Pox?"

"Even though Dragon Pox is practically extinct now." I laughed.

A faint tapping sound from my window pulled us out of our fits of laughter. I looked up and saw an owl resting on the window ledge. I climbed off my bed and walked over to the window, letting the owl in.

"That's strange." I muttered.

"What is?" Dom asked.

"This is James's owl." I said. "Why wouldn't he just call or text me?"

"What does the letter say?" Dom asked, pointing at the parchment tied around the owl's leg.

I gave Cassie, the owl, a treat and took the letter off her leg. I spoiled Cassie with one more treat before sending her on her way. I walked back over to my bed, opening the letter as I flopped down.

"What the hell." I muttered.

Dom crawled over towards me and peeked over my shoulder. There were no words, it wasn't even a letter. It was simply a picture of James walking down the streets of Diagon Alley with his arm wrapped around a girl. A girl that wasn't me.

"Isn't that Blair Chase?" Dom pointed out.

"Yeah." I growled, folding the picture back up.

A thousand questions ran through my mind. What was James doing in Diagon Alley? Why the hell was he with Blair Chase? Why wasn't he at the Ministry with his father? Who sent me this picture? What the hell was going on?

"Belle?"

"I'm fine." I responded quickly. "It's probably someone just trying to play a cruel joke on me."

"Belle, this is pointing to the facts that James might be cheating on you." Dom said slowly.

"I trust James." I said, tossing the picture in the draw on my bedside table. "I don't think he would cheat on me."

"Let's hope not." Dom growled. "Family or not, I'll rip him to shreds. Are you going to confront him on it?"

"No, I think I'm just going to let it go." I said.

Dom looked at me before sighing and rolling off the bed.

"Alright, well I'm going to head home and make sure I have everything ready for school. I'll see you on the train tomorrow."

"Bye." I said, giving her a hug.

Dom pulled out her wand and apparated out of my room. I rolled over in bed and opened the bedside draw again. I pulled the picture back out and looked at it.

James Potter, things are not going to end well for you if you're cheating on me.

With Blair Chase, none the less.

"Belle?"

"In my room James!" I called out.

It was going to be one interesting semester.

I could tell.

 _Author's Note- So, a bit of a filler chapter before we head back to school. What do you all think of Kinsley? And what about Vic and Teddy moving to America? And the picture? We're about halfway through the story friends! I got a few more goodies up my sleeve but the year is coming to an end. How do you guys feel about James and Belle? Leave a review and tell me what you think._

 _Before I end this long AN, I just want to thank you guys for all the reviews. They're so great and warm my heart. Your guys reviews make me so happy._

 _XOXO_


	18. Chapter 18

For once in my life, I was up early. I was nervous to head back to Hogwarts. I've been avoiding reading the Daily Prophet or any sort of gossip columns since the accident. Who knew what kind of trash they could be writing. This morning, I decided to read the Prophet to brace myself for whatever rumors would be spread at school. I sat at the table with my toast and coffee, unfolding the paper.

 **James Potter and Girlfriend in Fatal Car Accident, Kills Unborn Child**

 _ **James Potter and girlfriend, Isabelle Stein, were reported to be in a car accident on the twenty-third of December. Isabelle Stein was rushed by muggle medical personnel to the nearest muggle hospital. An inside source, who wishes to stay anonymous, reported that Stein was around four months pregnant with James Potter's baby. Due to trauma from the accident, the unborn child did not survive. Stein was released from the hospital on the twenty-fourth of December. The accident follows a few months after the tragic car accident that killed Albus Potter.**_

I flipped the page. Who the hell was this anonymous source? How did anyone know Belle was pregnant? The only people to know were family and the muggles. How did the Prophet get their hands on this? I flipped the pages back to the gossip column. I was never one for gossip but I did like to know what they were saying about me.

 **James Potter and Wizengamot Chief Warlock's daughter, Blair Chase, the new it couple?**

 _ **The young James Potter was spotted in Diagon Alley spending time with the Chief Warlock's daughter, Blair Chase. The two seemed to be very close with each other. It lead us to ask the question 'What happened to Isabelle Stein?' Keeping reading for more updates.**_

I tossed the paper down on the kitchen table. The picture of Blair and I stared back at me. How were these pictures even taken? I was in Diagon Alley yesterday, but I was by myself running an errand for my father. I didn't even see Blair. Every time I saw her in school, I made a point to avoid her. The girl had a slight obsession with me. She even started a fan club over it. I could understand that people were fascinated with Harry Potter's children but Blair Chase was just overly creepy about it.

I grabbed the paper off the table and shoved it in the rubbish bin. The last thing I need was Belle seeing those lies. We've been up and down so much lately that I wouldn't even know how she would react to it. I sat back down at the table, sipping my coffee as Belle walked in.

"Good morning." She said, clearly shocked to find me awake this early.

"Good morning beautiful." I said with a smile.

I continued to sip my coffee as she poured herself a cup. She grabbed two slices of bread and popped them in the toaster.

"Ready for school?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready for Quidditch matches to begin." She said, grabbing her toast when it popped up.

When training began, I was nervous to let Belle play due to her pregnancy. She insisted that she was fine and that I was to let her play until she couldn't hide the fact that she was pregnant. She spent a lot of time training our back up seeker. With the loss of Nevaeh, she was able to play the whole season. As she ate her toast, I knew the truth. Quidditch was her distraction from dealing with the loss of Nevaeh.

"Right. I think we'll have a great season." I said.

"Have you seen the Daily Prophet anywhere?" Belle asked.

"Oh, umm…"

I thought of the shredded paper that was shoved in the bottom of the rubbish bin.

"I don't think it arrived yet. Dad might've took it with him too." I lied.

"Oh well." Belle said, taking a bite of her toast. "I'm sure I can find a copy on the train."

"Right." I said, chugging the rest of my coffee. "Are you sure you even want to read the paper? It's always just bullshit and lies."

"Hiding something?" She asked, looking right into my eyes. "Or maybe someone?"

She already knew about the Blair article. She pulled a piece of parchment out of her back pocket and tossed it onto the table. I unfolded it. There was that same picture of Blair and I from the Prophet.

"How did you get this?" I asked.

"It was delivered to me last night." Belle explained. "By your owl."

"I didn't send Cassie out though." I said confused.

"Well maybe Blair did." Belle spat. "Every time I think we're in a good place we take two steps back.

"Belle, I wasn't with Blair yesterday." I said, trying to prove my case. "I went out to Diagon Alley to run an errand for Dad."

"Well explain this picture then. Explain why it was anonymously sent to me with your owl." She cried.

"It's clearly a fake." I argued. "You know I can't stand Blair Chase. I wouldn't go within a hundred meters of that girl."

"I don't know what to believe anymore." She whispered.

"Belle…"

"No James." She got up to walk away.

"Belle." I repeated, grabbing her wrist. "Listen to me. You were the one who told me to grow a pair and to be there for you. Please believe me when I say I didn't take this picture with Blair."

"I don't know James." She whispered.

"I'm going to figure this out Belle. I'm going to show you I didn't do this." I said, letting my arm fall to my side.

"I hope you do." Belle said. "I'm going to head over to Dom's. I'll see you at school."

I watched Belle as she left the kitchen. I listened to her floo off to my cousin's house. I flung my fist at the wall, cursing the Daily Prophet and Blair Chase.

Once on the train, I went to hunt Blair down. Apparently, my sister had the same idea. She had spent the last week of break at a friend's house. I'm sure she's been itching to yell at me for the Prophet articles.

"James Sirius Potter, what the hell!"

There it was.

"Lily, darling, nice to see you. I've missed you so much."

"Oh, cut the bullshit." Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Explain this."

She held up the picture of Blair and I from the Prophet. It seemed that everyone had that picture of us.

"That is a misunderstanding." I explained.

"A misunderstanding!" Lily screeched.

She is a very loud fourteen-year-old.

"This girl is a complete nutjob James!" She yelled. "So please tell me why the Daily Prophet is reporting you two to be the next it couple!"

"I don't know Lils. I was out in Diagon Alley running an errand for Dad. I don't know when they took this picture or how they made it look like I was with Blair."

"What does Belle think?" Lily asked.

"Belle's pretty pissed." I answered.

"Jamey!"

Speak of the devil. Blair Chase ran up to me, attaching herself to my side like a leech. I tried to peel her off and she just latched on tighter. I looked at my sister desperately for help. Lily pulled out her wand.

"You have three seconds before I hex the shit out of you with my Bat-Bogey Hex." Lily threatened. "One…Two…"

Blair quickly released me. Lily was as good at the Bat-Bogey Hex as our mother was. I would be afraid to be at the receiving end of her wand.

"We have so much to talk about Jamey." Blair gushed, unfazed by Lily. "Hogsmeade dates, your Quidditch matches, and when I get to meet your parents. Harry and Ginny will just adore me."

"That's Mr. and Mrs. Potter to you." Lily snapped.

"Blair." I said slowly. "We are not dating. I'm dating Belle."

"No, you aren't. It says it right here in the Prophet." Blair stated.

"I know you faked that picture." I accused her. "I didn't even see you in Diagon Alley."

"Yes, you did." Blair said, a sickly-sweet smile on her face. "You don't want to cross me Jamey."

"Blair, you need to get over it. We will never date." I said.

"Take it back." Blair hissed.

"What? He's not going to take it back you crazy bint. He's in love with Belle." Lily said.

"This is only the beginning. Me sending that picture to your _precious Belle_ , that was only the beginning." Blair threatened.

"So, you do admit to faking the picture?" I asked.

"Yes, I forged the stupid picture and sent it to Belle." Blair snapped. "And it's only going to get worse from here."

"Whatever." I mumbled, pulling my want out of my pocket.

I conjured up a small vial and pulled the memory of Blair confessing out of my mind. Lily gave me a questioning look.

"I got to prove to Belle that I wasn't lying." I said, placing the vial in my pocket.

I turned back to look at Blair but she was already gone. That girl was a piece of work.

"Merlin, she's a lunatic." Lily said.

You got that right.

 _Author's Note- Kind of a short chapter but it was also a bit of a filler. So what do you guys think about Blair? What do you think will happen during the school year? Leave a review and tell me what you think. You all know I thrive from your comments. XOXO_


	19. Chapter 19

"I can't believe the Daily Prophet found out about your pregnancy." Dom said as she flipped through the paper.

"Yeah, I know." I growled.

I worked so hard to make sure no one but family know I was pregnant. Now the entire wizarding world knows. I knew the rumors would be flying. I could already see people whispering when Dom and I got on the train. It probably didn't help my case that I arrived without James.

"The Prophet writers really need to go get lives." I whined. "The war was ages ago. You would think their fascination with Harry and the Weasleys would be over by now."

"But then our family had to have children." Dom laughed. "There's nothing the gossip columns love more than entitled trust fund babies."

"Is this real?" Rose asked as she barraged right into the compartment.

"Thanks for knocking Rosie." Dom said, rolling her eyes.

Rose ignored her older cousin and tossed to paper into my lap. I looked down at it. There was that awful picture of James and Blair looking up at me.

"I don't know." I said curtly, tossing the paper in the empty seat next to me.

"Frankly I think the girl belongs in the looney bin." Rose said.

She plopped herself down in the empty spot next to Dom. Scorpius awkwardly stood in the doorway before taking the empty seat next to me.

"What girl?"

Speak of the devil herself. Blair Chase stood in the doorway of our compartment, smiling sweetly at me.

"What do you want Blair?" I asked.

Blair flipped her golden locks over her shoulder and cocked her head slightly to the side. She sent me a dazzling bright smile.

"I just want to make sure you're okay." She said. "It must suck knowing James ended your two-year relationship for me."

"James and I didn't break up. You need to get out of this fantasy world you're living in." I snapped.

"And if you knew what was best for him, you'd break up with him." Blair shot back.

"There you guys are. Oh Merlin, what the hell is she doing here?"

Lily and James walked into our compartment. Lily drew her wand and pointed it at Blair.

"She was just leaving." Dom said. "Weren't you Blair?"

Blair looked around the compartment, her eyes landing on me.

"Yeah, I'm on my way out." Blair said, not breaking her eye contact from me. "Remember what I said Isabelle."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and headed out of the compartment.

"Bye Jamey." She said, letting her fingers brush past his shoulders as she walked by.

I scowled. James looked down at his shoulder before taking a seat on the other side of me. He pulled a little vial out of his pocket. It was filled with a shiny and shimmery silver mist. I knew it was a memory.

"You can watch this when we get to school." James said, handing me the vial. "It's Blair saying she faked the picture."

"What is her problem?" I asked. "I mean she's always been crazy but she's stepped it up. Getting the Daily Prophet to run a fake article? That's a bit extreme."

"Well…" Rose said. "Everyone knows you and James have been going through a rough spot ever since Al's accident. I actually think it's smart of her to play on your weakness."

"Rose!" Dom gasped, punching her in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Rose cried. "I'm being serious. Think about it. Belle and James are at low point in their relationship. Then Blair comes in and creates the illusion that James is cheating. Then she gets a major gossip column to run the article to get people talking."

We all looked around at each other before nodding our heads in agreement. Rose was right. It was a smart plan.

"So how do we shut it down?" James asked.

"You don't." Rose said.

When James and I first started dating, I knew what I was getting myself into. Before I came into the picture, James was a bit of a wild child. The press loved him. He feed into what they wanted. They wanted drama, he gave them drama. Then I came into the picture and they were fascinated by me. Who was this mysterious girl that was able to tame the wild James Potter? Now here we were again, back in the limelight.

The feast was an interesting one. Students whispered amongst each other. Some even had the nerve to point at James and I. James sat close to me at the table. Our thighs were touching and his arm was wrapped protectively around me. Blair sat farther down the table, just glaring at me the whole time. This obsession she had went from cute to creepy to mildly stalkerish.

James and I ate our meals with Dom and Freddy. Freddy chatted about his father's new joke products while Dom talk about this new hair salon she wanted to try. Basically, we were trying to ignore the conversation that everyone was talking about.

"I heard they broke up." Some second or third year girl said.

"Yeah, I heard he was going out with Blair Chase now." The girl's friend said.

"That's what I heard!" Said the first girl. "But he seems pretty close and cozy with Isabelle Stein right now."

"Talk about a love triangle." The friend said. "Can you say drama."

Do these kids really have nothing better to talk about?

"Maybe she doesn't know." Girl number one said. "Like maybe James has been hiding the papers and keeping Isabelle in the dark."

Oh, sweet Merlin.

"How about you two shut up and just eat your dinner?" I snapped.

The two girls just looked at me with wide eyes before looking down at their plates.

"What a bitch." Girl number one mumbled.

"Someone is having some mood swings." Girl number two said.

"Ignore them." James whispered into my ear.

"I'm trying." I muttered. "Everyone is just acting like an annoying little shit."

"I know. Just let them talk. They'll get bored eventually." James said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I just sat there stiffly. While I now had proof that the picture of James and Blair was fake, I was still holding onto a slight grudge. I have yet to watch the memory so I couldn't just let James off one hundred percent. I just had to be sure with that memory.

"I'm done." I said, pushing my plate away from me. "I'm going to head up to the Room of Requirements to watch this memory."

"I'll come with you." James said.

James and I managed to sneak away from the Gryffindor table and up to the seventh floor. We asked the room for what we wanted and waited for it to appear. When the door appeared, we stepped inside. The room was small and cozy, like a study. The pensieve stood in the center of the room. I walked up to it and dumped the memory into the liquid. I looked over at James before dunking my head into the memory.

" _Jamey!"_

 _Blair Chase ran up to James, attaching herself to his side like a leech. He tried to peel her off and she just latched on tighter. James looked at my sister desperately for help. Lily pulled out her wand._

" _You have three seconds before I hex the shit out of you with my Bat-Bogey Hex." Lily threatened. "One…Two…"_

 _Blair quickly released James._

" _We have so much to talk about Jamey." Blair gushed, unfazed by Lily. "Hogsmeade dates, your Quidditch matches, and when I get to meet your parents. Harry and Ginny will just adore me."_

" _That's Mr. and Mrs. Potter to you." Lily snapped._

" _Blair." James said slowly. "We are not dating. I'm dating Belle."_

" _No, you aren't. It says it right here in the Prophet." Blair stated._

" _I know you faked that picture." He accused her. "I didn't even see you in Diagon Alley."_

" _Yes, you did." Blair said, a sickly-sweet smile on her face. "You don't want to cross me Jamey."_

" _Blair, you need to get over it. We will never date." He said._

" _Take it back." Blair hissed._

" _What? He's not going to take it back you crazy bint. He's in love with Belle." Lily said._

" _This is only the beginning. Me sending that picture to your_ _ **precious Belle**_ _, that was only the beginning." Blair threatened._

" _So, you do admit to faking the picture?" James asked._

" _Yes, I forged the stupid picture and sent it to Belle." Blair snapped. "And it's only going to get worse from here."_

I pulled myself out of the memory. Blair had to be playing at some game. She told me that if I knew what was best for James, I would break up with him. She told James that if he didn't break up with me that it would only get worse.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"It's okay." James said, nuzzling his face into my shoulder. "We've been through hell and it was a pretty convincing picture."

"I promise I won't doubt you until I have all the facts." I whispered. "I love you James Potter."

"I love you Isabelle Stein."

 _Author's Note- Chapter 19! We're nearing the end. I'm thinking 25-30 will probably be the cutoff. I hoped you guys liked this chapter. I got a few more tiny events and one major one left. Be sure to check out my one-shot companion for this story, As Told by a Dead Man._

 _Tell me what you think in a review_

 _XOXO_


	20. Chapter 20

"What goes around comes around."

"Yeah, she did kill his brother."

"This is just karma getting back at her."

"I wonder how Blair did it."

"Yeah, he seemed so in love with Belle."

"It has to be because of Albus."

I banged my head down on the table.

"Owww." I moaned, not raising my head.

Dom reached over and rubbed her hand up and down my back.

"Hey, it'll be all right." She said.

"I'm so over this bloody school." I whined. "This year has been nothing but a shit fest for me and I am so over it."

"It'll be over soon." Dom murmured. "Only a few more months until we graduate."

I groaned. I was over the drama that circled around this year. I was over Blair and her mean antics. I was ready to just skip forward a few years and be set in life.

"Everyone, listen up!"

I looked up from the table to see Blair standing on top of the Gryffindor tables, her wand up to her throat to enhance it. I groaned again.

"So we all know Jamey and I are dating." She said cheerfully. "So I want to announce a couples party in the Room of Requirements tonight!"

Where is a professor when you need one?

"Which means no single people allowed. Sorry Belle."

Blair looked right at me, smiling sweetly. She was up to something.

"Plus, Jamey is supplying!"

I watched at James climbed up on the table next to Blair and wrap his arm around her waist, planting a kiss on her cheek. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"Oh my Merlin." Dom gasped.

"What the fuck!" I screamed, storming out of my seat. "What the fuck did you do to him Blair!"

"Belle." Blair said, pulling her wand away from her. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sure you don't want to cause a scene in front of everyone though."

"What have you done to him?"

"Isabelle, you stupid little girl." Blair laughed. "Jamey has been blinded by you. You distracted him from bigger and better things. Me."

James kept his arm around Blair's waist.

"James." I said, looking up at him. "James, baby."

James just kept looking at Blair, blinking every once in a while.

"Give it up Isabelle, you lost." Blair said triumphantly.

"You cursed him you bloody bint!" I shouted.

"You better shut the hell up." Blair hissed. "James and I are going to have fun at this party tonight. I'm going to turn him back to the James he was. You have done nothing but ruin his life. Killing his brother was the last straw."

I opened my mouth to fire back an insult but nothing could come out of my mouth. Everyone knew that mentioning Al was a sensitive spot for me. Dom came up from behind me and grabbed my arm gently.

"Come on, we'll figure something out." Dom whispered.

I turned away from Blair and stormed out of the Great Hall, tears forming in my eyes. Dom followed behind me as I made my way up to Gryffindor Tower. Did she use a love potion on him? Or Dark Magic? I did think Blair would stoop to something so illegal over something so petty, but James was looking like he under the control of something.

"Belle?"

"What the fuck is going on Dom?" I cried. "Has Blair lost her damn mind?"

"I don't know Belle." She said.

"I don't understand what she's doing." I cried, letting the tears flow in the safety of our dorm. "Nothing makes sense."

"We can find out at her party tonight."

"How? She made it very clear that I wasn't invited." I said.

Dom just smiled. Why was she smiling? This was not a time to be happy.

"Well, there is one way."

I don't get where she's going with this.

"The cloak Belle! James's invisibility cloak." She stated.

Of course, how could I forget about the cloak? James loved that stupid thing. He used it every chance he got…we used it a couple of times to get out of trouble with some prefects.

"Dom, you're a genius! I totally forgot about the cloak. But how are we going to get it?" I asked.

"Freddie." Dome said with a smile.

Convincing Freddie to go get the cloak for us was such an easy task. He did it with no questions asked. I sat on my bed, watching Dom as she got ready for this party.

"Who are you even going with?" I asked. "It's a couple's party Dom."

"Oh." She said, applying her red lipstick. "Dylan Haut. That Ravenclaw boy I've been talking to."

"Ooo, go Dom." I giggled, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's nothing." She brushed off. "Just make sure you're right by my side so you can get in easily."

"Understood." I said.

I wrapped James's invisibility cloak around me as we walked down to the common room. Dylan was waiting for Dom outside, having a pleasant conversation with the Fat Lady.

"You look lovely Dom." Dylan said.

"Thanks." She said.

I could see a slight blush rising in her cheeks. It was so adorable that I almost forgot about this mess we were talking into. The three of us made it up to the Room of Requirements. Dom and Dylan were approved by the goons guarding the door. I followed closely behind at Dom's heels. Once inside, I scanned the room for James.

There.

He was up front with Blair, that lovesick gaze still in his eyes. I still wasn't sure what to do exactly. I wanted to hex the shit out of Blair. I couldn't do that without giving myself away.

Or could I?

I carefully made my way through the crowd of people, keeping myself wrapped safely in the cloak. I stood behind some fourth-year student and poked the tip of my wand through the cloak. I aimed for Blair.

"Engorgio Skullus." I muttered.

I quickly stepped away from the young student as Blair's head enlarged. She screamed, drawing attention to herself. Some students screamed and some laughed at her. I walked around the room and poked my wand out again.

"Redactum Skullus." I whispered, watching her head shrink back to normal size.

Blair spun around, trying to figure out who was hexing her. I pulled the cloak close to me.

"Who did this!" Blair yelled, having the music cut. "Just fess up."

I made my way through the room again.

"Locomotor Wibbly."

I suppressed a giggle as I walked Blair's legs give out, falling on her bum.

"That's it!" Blair screamed. "Someone better confess now!"

I watched as she tried to stand up but she just fell back down on her bottom. I was enjoying this.

"Uncurse James!" I called out. "Or give him the love potion antidote!"

I quickly moved so Blair couldn't pinpoint my voice and where I was.

"Who said that!" She shouted.

I debated on if I should show myself or not. Making a snap decision, I yanked the cloak off me and glared down at Blair.

"I should've know it was you." Blair sneered. "You're so pathetic that you can't accept the fact that James is over you."

"Oh, please Blair, James would never love a horrible person like you." I tossed back.

"Yes, he would!" Blair screeched.

"Give him the antidote Blair!" I cried, holding my wand up. "You can't keep giving him a love potion forever."

Everyone was silent, watching the showdown better Blair and me. I held my wand up threatening.

"What are you going to do Isabelle?" Blair taunted. "Kill me like you killed Albus?"

"I didn't kill him!" I cried.

She hit a nerve.

I flicked my wand and sent a stinging hex right at her. Blair yelped out in pain.

"What the fuck!"

"I'm not messing around Blair. Give him the antidote." I said in a low, threatening voice.

"What anti…"

I sent another stinging hex her way and she yelped out in pain again. The other students stared at me in shock and fear.

"Fine!" Blair yelled. "Jamey, give me my bag."

James grabbed Blair's bag and she dug around in it. I watched her pull out a vial of clear liquid, the antidote. She popped the vial's cap off and held the antidote up to James.

"Jamey, drink this." She instructed.

James took the vial from her and tipped it back. Everyone watched silently as the potion began to take an effect on James. He slowly looked around the room at everyone.

"What's going on?" He asked, very confused.

"James!" I cried out, running up into his arms.

"Belle…why am I in the Room of Requirements?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Well Blair over…" I trailed off. "Actually, nothing major happened. Why don't we just get back to your dorm and rest?"

Blair looked at me, amazed by the fact that I didn't rat her out. James nodded to my suggestion and we made our way out of the party.

"Are you sure nothing happened?" James asked as we walked down the corridor.

"I'm sure." I said, kissing James's cheek. "I just want to get back to your dorm and snuggle."

"That sounds like a great idea."

 _Author's Note- Hey guys, it's been a while since I posted on this story. I hope you didn't miss me too much. The end of James and Belle is near guys. So before I go, just remember to leave your comments in a review. Also check out my two companion pieces to this story, As Told By a Dead Man and Loving Him. Also be on the lookout for my new story coming soon._

 _XOXO_


	21. Chapter 21

I snuggled up closely to James in his tiny dorm bed. The soft sound of his breathing was so relaxing to me. I squirmed under James's grasp, turning my body to watch him sleep. He looked so peaceful and innocent. He looked so…relaxed. If someone was to look at James now, they probably would've never guessed that hell he's gone through in the past year. From losing his brother, to our ups and downs, to everything with Blair, and to losing his baby girl. Through the good and the bad, he has truly been amazing.

I felt the bed move and was yanked out of my thoughts. I glanced up to see James's brown eyes staring down at me. I smiled and nuzzled up to him.

"Hi." I giggled.

"Hello beautiful." He murmured, planting a light kiss on my forehead.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Oh yes." James said with a yawn. "I always take the best naps with you."

"As I do with you." I giggled.

"Come here." James growled, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me on top of him.

"You know," I whispered, looking down at him. "We've been through so much this school year."

James's smile left his face as he went somber. I knew I struck a nerve, but I wanted to talk about it. I wasn't wrong. We have been through a lot this year. It's not something we can try to forget and hide from.

"You're right." James said. "But I'm glad its you who went through this with me and not anyone else."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You stayed by me." He responded. "Even when I was angry with you and treated you like shit, you were still there. We had our ups and downs, but you stuck around. Any other girl probably would've left. They might've put up with it for a bit because I'm James Potter, but they would've left after a while of dealing with my crap. But you…you stayed the whole time Belle."

"Ehh." I said, thinking about the time I packed all my stuff up and moved back to my house. "I don't think that's a hundred percent true."

"You moved out for one day. That hardly counts."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Either way, you came back." James countered.

This was true.

"You're more than your last name." I said, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "You have a temper but you're also a kind, sweet, and caring man."

James smiled as he planted another kiss on me.

"It's adorable how you care so much about your family. It makes my heart flip with how strongly you care about me. You're passionate and would do anything for me. You'd put your own life on the line to keep me safe." I continued. "You don't follow the rules. You aren't the next Harry Potter. You made a name for yourself. You are more than being just Harry Potter's eldest son. You became the love of my life."

James wrapped his arms around me tightly and held me as close as he possibly could.

"And you're the love of mine." He whispered into my ear.

His words sent a shiver down my spine. While we've been dating for almost three years, it wasn't the first time I've heard James tell me he loves me. In this moment though, it made my heart skip a beat.

"Do you remember when we first met?" I asked.

"Yeah, you ran into me on the train." James laughed.

"You were a cocky bastard back then." I said. "Being all high and mighty with the do you know who I am bit."

"I was eleven!" James cried out in defense. "A spoiled eleven year old who lived his entire life in the lime light."

"Look how much you've grown."

"Oh, I have grown." James said, a large smirk forming on his face.

"Oi! You dirty little boy." I cried out.

"Come here."

Rumors of last night's party spread around the castle. All anyone could take about was how Blair forced a love potion upon James. I almost felt bad for her. Almost. She did try to use the tragic events that have happened to James and I to her advantage. It's impossible to feel bad for a manipulative bitch like that. I was thankful that the school year was coming to an end. Soon we would all be out in the real world. We would have to stop being children and work as functional adults.

"Can you guys believe we're about to graduate?" Dom asked. "Seems like just yesterday we all stepped in this common room for the first time."

"Oh stop being so nostalgic." Fred said.

I looked over at him from my spot in James's lap. I was surprised he even knew a big word like that.

"What?" Fred asked, acknowledging all our shocked looks. "We wrecked havoc on this place for seven years. I'm sure McGonagall is thrilled to be getting rid of some more Weasleys and Potters. We're trouble makers by nature."

We all kind of shrugged and muttered in agreement. Fred wasn't wrong. Him and James terrorized hundreds of students through out our time here.

"I'll just be happy to be getting away from all the drama." I said. "I'm ready to move out, get a fresh start, and begin my adult life."

"Move out?" James asked. "You aren't going to stay at the Manor?"

I looked up at my boyfriend.

"Well, I will for a bit. Just until I find a flat and find a good job." I said.

"A flat?" James mused. "Hmmm."

James shifted on the couch, gently pushing me off his lap and standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Hmm?" James said, stopping in his tracks. "Oh, um…just to write my parents a quick letter. I'll be back shortly."

I watched as James dashed up the boys' staircase before turning to my friends.

"You two thought that was weird, right?"

The two cousins nodded their heads in agreement. Good.

"Yeah, why would he write Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny when we're going home in a week." Dom said. "Either he's up to something or it's something desperate."

"Well," I said, turning to Fred. "It has been a rough year for him. You guys didn't pull any pranks this year."

"He can't be planning a prank without me!" Fred cried out before composing himself. "Besides, we already have our end of the year prank planned out."

What could that boy be up to? All I did was make a little comment about how I was going to get my own flat after graduation. That seemed to have sparked his interest and….oh. Oh I get it now.

"I'll be back guys." I said.

I balled my blanket up and set it next to me on the couch before getting up and heading to the boys' staircase. I made my way up to James's dorm. I gave a soft knock before letting myself in.

"James?"

He sat at his desk, scribbling away on a piece of parchment.

"James?" I said again. "You aren't mad at me, are you?"

James set his quill down to turn around and look at me.

"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked.

"Well, you made a mad dash up here when I mentioned about how I want to move out of the Manor and get my own place. I thought maybe I upset you or something."

"Oh Belle, of course not." James said, pushing his chair back to stand up. "You gave me idea and I wanted to ask my parents about it."

An idea?

"What is it?" I asked.

"A surprise."

"Oh, come on James." I begged. "Please, tell me."

James sighed before letting a smirk crawl up on his face.

"Let's get a house."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"Let's get a house." James repeated. "A nice house with a couple of bedrooms and a big yard for a couple of dogs."

"James." I sputtered. "My parents set aside enough money for me to get a nice flat. I can't afford a house."

James walked over to me and grasped my hands, pulling me close.

"That's why I wanted to write to my parents right away."

"I don't understand where all this is coming from." I said.

"The other day you told me I was the love of your life and you were mine. Then today you mentioned getting a flat and it all made sense." James said.

"It's still not making any sense to me." I said.

"After Al's death, my parents took his trust fund and divided it up. They gave some to charity and split the rest evenly between Lily and me. I already have access to my trust fund."

I was still a bit confused. I know money isn't an issue at all for the Potters. But it wasn't much of a problem for me either. I didn't have a nice trust fund like James, but I did an above average lifestyle.

"When Mum had to quit Quidditch because of me, she took up retail as a part time job. I know for a fact that some of her rental houses are empty at the moment."

Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting?

"Let's buy a house."

There it was again.

"James, do you think that's a good idea? After everything we've been through?" I asked. "We've hit some low spots while living together."

"Belle, listen," James whispered, pulling me even closer to him. "We've hit our rough patches during this school year. We've been through a lot. I would like nothing more than to end this year off on a positive note."

He was right.

"Alright," I said with a smile. "Let's get a house!"

"That's what I want to hear." James said before planting a big, sloppy one on me.

I giggled and pulled myself back.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too."

 _Author's Note- I'm back! I'm sorry I was gone for so long. Work and school kicked my butt. But I'm back and I can't wait to give you guys the end of Accidents Happen. It's almost over. I'm so thankful for you guys. Please leave a review with your thoughts and comments. Until next time my loves._

 _XOXO_


	22. Chapter 22

Today was the last day we would ever be in the castle as Hogwarts students. Today, we'll be leaving as Hogwarts alumni. The thought was amazing to me. After seven long years here, we finally made it through. All the homework assignments, exams, countless nights of studying, quidditch matches, and so on, we made it through all of them.

I check myself in the mirror again. My gown laid gracefully against my body, free of any wrinkles. My makeup was on point and my hair was perfectly straight, not a strand out of place. I dawned my cords around my neck. Somehow, I managed to beat out Hallie Dunn as top student of our year. While I was proud of that moment, I was nervous about my speech I'd have to give.

My speech was well planned out and plenty rehearsed. There wasn't a single flaw in it…yet. Saying my speech in front of Dom or James was one thing. Saying it in front of all of our friends and family was a totally different thing. The pressure to not mess it up was like ten times more. It didn't help that public speaking wasn't one of my favorite things to do. It also didn't help that my parents wrote me a few days before saying they were actually going to show up to one of my life changing events.

"Belle! Come on, we need to go!"

I sighed and gave myself another once over in the mirror. Here we go. This was it. This was the last time I'll ever be in my dorm again. This will be the last time I walk down the staircase to the common room. This will be the last time I ever leave Gryffindor Tower.

"Belle! Come on!"

I tore my gaze away from the mirror and walked over to the door. Dom stood in the hallway with her arms crossed, an impatient look on her face.

"Finally!" She sighed, leading the way down the stairs. "It's almost like you're trying to make us late for our own graduation."

"Oh, just reminiscing on all the memories." I said with a laugh.

"So panicking over your speech?"

"Basically." I said.

"You'll be fine Belle." Dom said as we entered the common room. "You literally are the brightest witch of our year. After everything you've been through this year, I doubt a little speech is going to be able to bring you down."

She was right. I didn't get much time to dwell on the thought though as Professor Longbottom called for our attention to head down to the Great Hall. The time has finally come.

"I'd like to call up the top student of the class of 2022, Miss Isabelle Stein."

McGonagall stepped away from the podium. The crowd politely clapped as I made my way up. I spotted Harry, Ginny, and Lily up near the front. Ginny was beaming with pride, as if I was her own child. I quickly scanned the crowd for my own parents. I didn't see them near the front, which was a disappointment, but I did my best not to let it show on my face.

"Good afternoon." I said, grabbing my speech out of my gown pocket.

I smoothed the parchment out and kept it on the podium. I looked back out into the crowd before I began to read.

"I am so thankful for this opportunity I was given to speak to you all. Seven years ago, everyone before me helped their eleven-year-old pack his or her trunk before shipping us off to Hogwarts. You, our parents, were the ones who started our amazing seven-year journey."

I paused, looking around the crowd again. I looked down at my speech again, scanning through it. I picked the paper up and crumbled it into a ball.

"I had a super cheesy speech planned out. I'm just going to be honest though. We all had our ups and downs while here. I especially hit an all time low this year. I lost a good friend of mine this year. Which almost caused me to lose my boyfriend. I lost my unborn child. I almost died. Yet, here I am giving you this speech. Everyone sitting in front of you, we all went through our own challenges through out our years here. We are so thankful for all the opportunities Hogwarts have given us. We can't wait to move forward into the next chapter of our lives. Here's to the class of 2022!"

The crowd applauded me and I went back to my seat with a large smile on my face. I looked down my row at James. He flashed me a big smile and gave me a thumbs up. I turned my attention back up front to McGonagall. She was making her way through the list of students. I watched as they went up one by one, shaking hands with McGonagall before going and receiving their diploma from Professor Longbottom.

"James Sirius Potter."

I pulled myself out of my daze and watched proudly as my boyfriend walked up to collect his diploma. As he made his way back to his seat, I flashed him a dazzling smile.

"Isabelle Marie Stein."

This was it. I rose from my seat and made my way back up to the front of the stage. McGonagall grasped my hand firmly.

"I'm very proud of you Isabelle." She said.

"Thank you, Professor."

She gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder before sending me on my way to get my diploma. I thank Professor Longbottom and happily made my way back to my seat.

"We did it!" I squealed as I jumped into James's arms after the ceremony ended.

"Yeah!" James laughed. "Yeah, we did."

He spun me around before placing my feet back on the ground and pulling me in for a long, deep kiss.

"Honestly, get a room you two."

We pulled apart, looking over at the voice. It was none other than Lily walking over with her parents.

"Hi Lils." I said.

"Congrats, Isa." She said, pulling me in for a hug.

"Oi! I'm your brother and you're congratulating her first?" James cried out.

"She's better than you." Lily taunted, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

Harry and Ginny gave me their congratulations before turning their attention to their son. I turned away from them, scanning the room for my parents once again. I was starting to think that they blew off my graduation to go vacation on some tiny tropical island.

"Isabelle!"

I spun around and let a smile break out on my face.

"Mama! Papa!"

My parents came over and pulled me into tight bear hugs.

"You did amazing sweetie." Mama said. "We are so proud of you mon chéri"

"Thank you, Mama." I said.

"Cora! David!" Ginny called out. "How nice to see you two again."

"You as well Ginny." My father said.

"We're planning on heading back to the Manor to have a celebratory dinner for the James and Belle. You two must join." She said.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude." Mama said.

My face fell a little. Of course, they would find some excuse to just take off as soon as graduation was over. Typical.

"Isabelle." My mother said, noticing my look. "Sweetie, don't take this the wrong way."

"Wrong way?" I snapped. "How could I possibly take it the wrong way? It just looks like my parents yet again don't want to be with me and are shoving their parental duties off on the Potters."

"Isabelle, that's not true. We've just haven't been there much for you. We don't want to intrude on this life you've been leading."

"Well maybe I wanted you there" I said coolly. "But you're right. You haven't been there much so why begin now."

I turned my attention away from my parents and back to James.

"Come on." I muttered. "I just want to head to the Manor to get ready for the night."

"Belle."

I glanced over my shoulder, ignoring James, and watching as my parents walked out of the Great Hall. I felt rejected. I was hoping they would go against me and stay. This is what they do best though. Who knew when I was going to see them again.

"Belle."

"Please James, I'm just ready to leave." I said.

"Alright." James said, turning to his parents.

"Of course, we can leave now." Ginny said. "We'll see the rest of the family later anyways."

"Thank you." I whispered to James as he took my hand and lead me out of the Great Hall.

I took one last look of my surrounds at we left the castle, taking it all in for the last time.

Good bye Hogwarts, it's been real.

 _AN-_ _Mon chéri means my darling in French. Can you believe we're almost at the end of Accidents Happen ? All we have left is the epilouge. This story has been one heck of a roller coaster and I'm so glad I went on this journey with you guys._

 _You know the drill, leave any comments or suggestions in a review._

 _XOXO_


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